UF Civil Engineering Professor To Shape Building Policy As New Jefferson Science Fellow

UF researcher David O. Prevatt, a leading expert in wind engineering and resilient construction, has joined the 2024-2025 Jefferson Science Fellowship with the U.S. Department of State, where he will apply his expertise to improve the resilience of U.S. diplomatic facilities worldwide against natural hazards.

For three years, Prevatt has been chewing on a stubborn problem: Why are bridges and buildings still succumbing to natural hazards when we have the knowledge to build resilient, hazard-resistant structures?

“I am a wind engineer,” said Prevatt. “I study hurricanes and houses and how to make them stronger. I can tell people seven ways ‘til Sunday how to build a better house, but it takes decades to get implemented.”

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