North American Masonry Conference (NAMC) Outstanding Paper Awards

Since the 5th North American Masonry Conference in 1990, awards have been presented to recognize outstanding papers presented at the conference.


Recipient Summary

Papers receiving awards at 14th North American Masonry Conference (2023)

  • Best experimental work: Shake Table Tests of Traditional Timber Frame Masonry Construction System, by Aanisa Gani, Durgesh C Rai, Jan Mohammad Banday
  • Best analytical/numerical work: An Analysis Model for Partially Grouted Shear Walls Using Macro-Modelling: Importance of Reporting Joint Shear Strength, by: Amr Ba Rahim, Clayton Pettit, Carlos Cruz Noguez, Jeffrey Hung
  • Best paper with a graduate student as the first author: Sensitivity Analysis of Parameters on the In-Plane Behavior of Unreinforced Masonry Wall Strengthened with Steel Wire Reinforced Cementitious Matrix, by Dattatreya Tripathy, Vaibhav Singhal
  • Best industry author/case study paper: Preserving a Landmark: Saving a Historic Masonry Landmark with Cost Saving Restoration Construction Practices, by Nathan J. Harres, Ariel Kousgaard
  • Best overall paper: Seismic Out-of-Plane Retrofit of URM Walls Using Timber Strong-Backs, by Ivan Giongo, Dmytro Dizhur, Jason Ingham, Robert Hudson, Marta Giaretton

Papers receiving awards at 13th North American Masonry Conference (2019)

  • “Finite Element Analysis of Hollow Concrete Block Masonry Walls” by Andrea C. Isfeld, Mark D. Hagel, and Nigel G. Shrive
  • “Shake-Table Tests on a URM Building with Chimneys” by Francesco Graziotti, Stylianos Kallioras, and António A. Correia
  • “Shake-Table Testing of a Small-Scale Five-Story Confined Masonry Building” by Sergio M. Alcocer and Nina Casas
Honorable Mention
  • “Cyclic In-Plane Testing of Simulated Australian Historical Perforated URM Walls” by Milon K. Howlader, Mark J. Masia, and Michael C. Griffith
  •  “Evaluation of Macro Models for Masonry-Infilled Reinforced Concrete Frames” by Rajdeep Ghosh and Manish Kumar
  • “Seismic Resistance Mechanisms in Partially Grouted Shear Walls with New Design Details” by Arturo E. Schultz and Catherine A. Johnson
  • “Strengthened Thin Clay Masonry Infills: In-Plane and Out-of-Plane Experimental Tests” by Massimiliano Minotto, Nicolò Verlato, Marco Donà, Elisa Saler, Francesca da Porto
In addition, the following awards were presented:
  • Outstanding Reviewer Award – Gregg Borchelt
  • Technical Committee Appreciation Award – Hillary Ann Dillon

Papers receiving awards at 12th North American Masonry Conference (2015)

  • Challenges in Modeling Out-of-Plane Seismic Response of Existing Masonry Buildings by Paulo Lourenco,  Daniel P. Abrams, Nuno Mendes, Alexandre Costa, and Alfredo Campos Costa
  • Conventional Concrete Blocks Manufactured Using Sequestered Carbon Dioxide by Sean Monkman and Mark MacDonald
  • A Study on the out-of-Plane Stability of Ductile Reinforced Masonry Shear Walls Subjected to In-Plane Reversed Cyclic Loading by Brook Robazza,  Svetlana Brzev,  Kenneth J. Elwood, Donald L. Anderson, T.Y. Yang, and Bill McEwen
  • The Hygrothermal, Energy and Long Term Performance Benefits of Masonry Exterior Wall Assemblies: An Owner’s Perspective by Annette Cyphers and Carly Wagner
Honorable Mention
  • Flexural Behavior of Ungrouted Post-Tensioned Masonry Beams with Eccentric, Unbonded Tendons by John Mario Garcia Giraldo, Ricardo Leon Bonett Diaz, Christian Ledezma Araya, and Arturo E Schultz
  • Reliability of Plastic Hinge Models for Reinforced Concrete & Reinforced Concrete Block Structural Walls by Ahmad Siam,  Marwan Shedid,  Yiping Guo, and Wael El-Dakhakhni
  • Evaluation of the Influence of Self-Reinforced Concrete Block on Ductility of a Shear Wall by Madeleine Joyal, M.J. Tait, and Robert G. Drysdale
  • The Size Effect in Reinforced Masonry Structures by Salah R. Sarhat and Edward G. Sherwood

Papers receiving awards at 11th North American Masonry Conference (2011)

  • Seismic Performance of Masonry Veneer in Wood-Frame Structures by Hussein Okail, P. Benson Shing, Richard E. Klingner, Seongwoo Jo, W. Mark McGinley, and David I. McLean
  • Allowable Stress Recalibration in the 2011 TMS 402 by Richard M. Bennett, Edwin T. Huston, David I. McLean, and Diane B. Throop
  • Brick Beyond Boundaries by Richard Filloramo, Mack Scogin, Jennifer Pindyck, Michael Filisky, and David Biggs
  • Performance of Brick in Field Freeze-Thaw Exposure to That Predicted by Physical Properties and Freeze-Thaw Tests by J. Gregg Borchelt and Brian E. Trimble
Honorable Mention
  • Splice Provisions for Deformed Reinforcement Surrounded by Grout in AAC Masonry by Miguel Forero Henao, and Richard E. Klingner
  • Fragility Curves for In-Plane Seismic Performance of Reinforced Masonry Walls by Juan Murcia-Delso, and P. Benson Shing
  • Evaluation of Water Repellent Admixtures and Coatings on the Air Permeance of Single-Wythe Concrete Masonry by Nicholas R. Lang, Jason J. Thompson, and Dennis W. Graber
  • Shear Design of Reinforced Masonry Beams by Salah R. Sarhat and Ted Sherwood

Papers receiving awards at 10th North American Masonry Conference (2007)

  • Effect of Axial Stress and Aspect Ratio on Lateral Strength of URM Walls by Joshua Steelman and  Daniel P. Abrams
  • Finite Element Modeling of Slender Post-Tensioned Masonry Walls Subject to Out-of-Plane Lateral Loading by Jennifer R. Bean and Arturo E. Schultz
  • Eccentric Loading of Solid Brickwork: Experimental and Theoretical Approaches by A. Brencich, C. Corradi, and L. Gambarotta
Honorable Mention
  • Torsion Shear Test for Mortar Joints in Masonry: Preliminary Experimental Results by Mark J. Masia, Yan Han, Christie J. Player, Marcio R. S. Correa, and Adrian W. Page
  • Design Performance of a Mid-Rise Reinforced Masonry Building Subjected to Unanticipated Loads by Can C. Simsir, Anurag Jain, Alexis P. Dumortier, and Gary C. Hart
  • Behaviour of Wide Cavity Walls under Lateral Loading by Gabi Bertram, Dirk R. W. Martens, and Bright Ng’Andu
  • Design Proposal of Confined Masonry Buildings by Angel San Bartolomé and Daniel Quiun

Papers receiving awards at 9th North American Masonry Conference (2003)

  • Large-Scale Tests of an Unreinforced Masonry Low-Rise Building by Franklin L. Moon, Tianyi Yi, Roberto T. Leon, and Lawrence F. Kahn
  • Influence of Diaphragm Flexibility on the Out-Of-Plane Response of Unreinforced Masonry Bearing Walls by Can C. Simsir, Mark A. Aschheim, and Daniel P Abrams
  • Numerical Simulation of Buckling in Laterally-Loaded Slender URM Walls by Arturo E. Schultz, Mu Lu, and Henryk K. Stolarski
Honorable Mention
  • Blast Resistance of Un-Reinforced Masonry Walls Retrofitted With Fiber Reinforced Polymers by John J. Myers, Abdeldjelil Belarbi, and Khaled A. El-Domiaty
  • Capillary Tension, Moisture Retentivity and Masonry Bond by Anne M. Werner, and David Lange
  • Composite Action of Masonry Walls on Steel Lintels Subjected to Concentrated Loads by William A. Wood
  • Design and Retrofit of Concrete Masonry-Infilled Steel Frames Using GFRP Laminates by Ahmad Hamid, Wael W. El-Dakhakhni, and Mohamed Elgaaly

Papers receiving awards at 8th North American Masonry Conference (1999)

  • Behavior of Multi-Perforated Clay Brick Walls under Earthquake-Type Loading, Sergio M. Alcocer and Jose Zepeda
  • Seismic Resistance of Masonry-Infilled RC Frames, Armin B. Mehrabi and P. Benson Shing
  • Mechanical Behaviour at Different Ages of Masonry Prisms with Thick Mortar Joints Reproducing a Byzantine Masonry, Luigia Binda, Giulia Baronio, and Christina Tedeschi
  • Long-Term Differential Movements in Masonry Cavitys, Marc D. Kuzik, Alaa E. Elwi, and Michael A. Hatzinikolas

Papers receiving awards at 7th North American Masonry Conference (1996)

  • Structural Performance of Residential Chimneys in Earthquakes, Matthew J. Scolforo, James E. Amrhein, and John Chrysler
  • Load Test on Post-Tensioned Masonry Walls, Nebojsa Mojsilovic and Peter Marti
  • Lateral Force Behavior of Brick Infills with Steel Frames, Stephen P. Schneider, Daniel P. Abrams, and Stephen J. Favieri
  • Evaluation of the Seismic and Wind Resistance of Low-Rise Masonry Buildings, Nina K. Kristeva and Scott D. Schiff
  • An Anisotropic Failure Criterion Suitable for Numerical Implementation, Paulo B. Lourenco and Jan G. Rots
  • Seismic Response Evaluation for Unreinforced Masonry Buildings, Daniel P. Abrams
  • Evaluation and Analytical Verification of Shaking Table Data from Infilled Frames, Richard E. Klingner, Nestor R. Rubiano, Tarek R. Bashandy, and Steven C. Sweeney
  • Flexural Behavior of Reinforced Masonry Shear Walls with Unbonded Reinforcement, by Alok Madan, Andrei M. Reinhorn, and John B. Mander

Papers receiving awards at 6th North American Masonry Conference (1993)

  • Preliminary Results from the TCCMAR 5-Story Full-Scale Reinforced Masonry Research Building Test, F. Seible, G. Hegemier, M.J.N. Priestley, G.R. Kingsley, A. Igarashi, and A. Kürkchübasche
  • Transverse Strength of Damaged URM Infills, D.P. Abrams, R. Angel, and J. Uzarski
  • The Seismic Resistance of Historical Urban Buildings, M. Tomazevic, M. Lutman, and P. Weiss
  • The Effects of Reinforcement on Shear Response, M.M.S. Khattab and R.G. Drysdale
  • Analysis of Shear Strength of Reinforced Masonry Walls, P.B. Shing, J. Brunner, and H.R. Lofti

Papers receiving awards at 5th North American Masonry Conference (1990)

  • Strength & Ductility of Reinforced Masonry Shear Walls, P. B. Shing, M. Schuller, and V.S. Hoskere
  • Masonry Structures in the Chilean Earthquake, R. Villablanca, R. Klingner, R. Mayes, and M. Blondet
  • Nonlinear Analysis of Reinforced Subassemblages, F. Seible, H.L. LaRovere, and G.R. Kingsley
  • Seismic Response of T-Section Masonry Shear Walls, M.J.N. Priestley and H. Limin


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