UF Researcher Helping Make Structures Safer After Surfside Disaster

When structures collapse, Jennifer Bridge’s phone rings.

Often, it is family wanting insight from Bridge, an associate professor in the University of Florida’s Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering. She is a well-regarded expert in structural engineering, so that phone also rings with state officials and building industry leaders.

Such was the case in June 2021 when the 12-story Champlain Towers South collapsed into a jagged crumble of concrete, steel, and suffering in Surfside, Fla., north of Miami Beach. The beachside disaster killed nearly 100 people and injured dozens. Residents were buried in the rubble, and America watched in horror as rescue missions turned into recovery missions within days.