SSPEED team, FE&P member honored by trustees

Faculty, staff and graduate students work together to remove 17 campus buildings from 100-year flood plain

Phil Bedient

The Rice Board of Trustees honored four members of Rice’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center along with a member of Facilities Engineering and Planning (FE&P) at the Dec. 10 meeting for their development of a Letter of Mapping Revision. Their efforts reduced the 100-year flood plain level on campus and saving the university more than $100,000 annually in flood insurance premiums.

Nick Fang

Led by Phil Bedient, the Herman Brown Professor of Engineering, the team comprised Nick Fang, adjunct assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering; graduate students Andrew Juan and Jacob Torres; and Larry Vossler, senior project manager in FE&P.

Jacob Torres

Vice President for Administration Kevin Kirby praised the group for their work, which included not only revising the map, but also securing a series of approvals from the Harris County Flood Control District, the Houston Flood Plain Management Office and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Andrew Juan

Their work in improving the drainage system on and around the campus has resulted in the removal of 17 campus buildings from the 100-year flood plain, with an estimated annual insurance savings of over $100,000 per year, Kirby said.

The changes are expected to save the university millions in construction projects over the next decade by reducing the compensatory storage costs.

Larry Vossler

“This significant impact to the Rice campus came about through hard work, innovative thinking and effective collaboration,” Kirby said. “This is the first time we have honored our graduate students who, along with their colleagues, have taken responsibility to serve the entire Rice community in a significant and far-reaching manner.”