Thomas Schumacher is a Professor and the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies in PSU's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. He graduated from the Bern University of Applied Sciences (Switzerland) in 2000 and earned M.S. and PhD degrees from Oregon State University in 2006 and 2010, respectively. His research is in engineering and preservation of existing structures with a focus on non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of concrete structures. His main interest is in stress wave and vibration-based techniques such as passive and active ultrasonic monitoring and impulse response testing.
Dr. Schumacher has worked with medical experts to develop imaging and image fusion methods to combine radar and ultrasonic echo array measurements to examine existing concrete structures. In collaboration with a team from the Technical University Munich, he has participated in the ScanPyramids Mission to explore the ancient Pyramids on the Giza plateau in Egypt. He has also worked on video-based techniques to monitor structural motion, distributed carbon nanotube (CNT)-based sensors for strengthening and repairing concrete and steel structures, durability of concrete bridge decks, forces on bridges subject to hurricane waves, and asset management.
Professor Schumacher is currently the Chair of ACI Committee 228 - Nondestructive Testing of Concrete and a registered Professional Engineer (PE) in Delaware. He offers courses on structural analysis and design, vibrations and structural dynamics, matrix structural analysis, prestressed concrete structures, sensing and monitoring of structures, and repair and strengthening of structures.
Research Interest and Expertise
- Non-destructive evaluation
- Structural Monitoring
- Bridge engineering
- Structural concrete
- Wave forces
Courses Taught
Research Archives