Hernandez Hall, Room 246
(575) 646-2904
Education
- Ph.D., Civil Engineering (Geotechnical), New Mexico State University, 2014
- M.S., Civil Engineering (Structures & Geotechnical), New Mexico State University, 2008
- B.S., Architectural Engineering, Jordan University of Science and Technology, 2000
Professional History
- 2022 – Present College Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
- 2015 – 2022 Assistant Professor, Department of Architectural Engineering, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan (On leave August 2019-August 2021)
- 2019 – 2021 College Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
- 2007 – 2013 Teaching/Research Assistant and Instructor, Department of Civil Engineering, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico
- 2002 – 2005 Lead Architect, Palm Real Estate Company, Amman, Jordan
- 2000 – 2001 Engineer in Training, Irbid Municipality, Irbid, Jordan
Teaching Experience
- Courses developed and taught at The Hashemite University: Building Materials; Structural Systems; Building Finishes; Design Studios 3 and 4; Drawing; Surveying; Professional Practice; Mechanics-Statics; Reinforced Concrete and Steel Design; Senior Design Project; Building Technology and Advanced Structural Systems (Master-level).
- Courses developed and taught at New Mexico State University: C E 151 Introduction to Civil Engineering; C E 233 Mechanics-Statics (currently ENGR233); C E 301 Mechanics of Materials; C E 445 Reinforced Concrete Design.
Research Interests
- Sustainable earthen construction methods and materials
- Numerical modeling of building components
- Unsaturated soil behavior
Select Publications
- Al Aqtash, U., Bandini, P., and Cooper, S. L. (2021). Lateral strength of traditional adobe walls affected by moisture: A numerical parametric study. International Journal of Architectural Heritage, 16(9): 1432-1449. doi: 10.1080/15583058.2021.1892240
- Al Aqtash, U., and Bandini, P. (2020). Influence of wall thickness and water content on the out-of-plane stability of adobe walls. Infrastructures, 5, 78. doi: 10.3390/infrastructures5090078
- Al Aqtash, U., Bandini, P., and Cooper, S. L. (2017). Numerical approach to model the effect of moisture in adobe masonry walls subjected to in-plane loading. International Journal of Architectural Heritage, 11(6): 805-815. doi: 10.1080/15583058.2017.1298010
- Al Aqtash, U., and Bandini, P. (2015). Prediction of unsaturated shear strength of an adobe soil from the soil-water characteristic curve. Construction and Building Materials, 98: 892–899. doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2015.07.188
- Wosick, E., Gebremariam, T., Weldon, B., Bandini, P., and Al-Aqtash, U. (2014). Strength characteristics of typical adobe material in the southwestern United States, 9th Int. Masonry Conference, Guimarães, Portugal, July 7-9.
