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This research investigated experimentally the seismic performance of steel gravity framing with a concrete slab at the system level. Two half-story, two-by-three bay steel gravity frame specimens were tested under cyclic loading. Bolted-bolted double-angle connections were used for a beam-to-column gravity connection. Primary design variables and construction details include the orientation of the metal deck to the loading direction, the presence or absence of metal deck seams on secondary beams, and the contribution of additional reinforcement bars in the concrete slab. Concrete blocks were positioned at the midpoint of each bay to simulate gravity loads, and a quasi-static displacement-controlled cyclic loading protocol was applied to the specimen using three hydraulic actuators. These investigations confirmed general observations from previous subassembly testing programs that the composite steel gravity framing system can provide substantial flexural stiffness, strength, and ductility under cyclic loading. Further, the test findings showed that the primary design variables and construction details significantly affected the cyclic behavior of composite gravity connections. Comparing the test results from a multi-bay setup and a subassembly testing setup, the cyclic behavior showed remarkable differences, especially for cases with weak axis decking or strong axis decking with a seam. These large differences are attributed to a significant separation of the girder from the column in the subassembly testing setup, which may not be present in a real building. Virtually all previous cyclic loading tests on gravity connections have been conducted in subassembly test setups. These subassembly tests are therefore the basis for the models that are currently used to include gravity frame connections in the seismic performance assessment of buildings, and these models may be quite inaccurate in some cases. The data generated in this system-level testing program is intended to support efforts to develop improved models of gravity connections subject to seismic loading. 

DEI programming in recent years has focused significant efforts on fostering inclusion of visible identities, such as race/ethnicity, certain dominant gender identities, and certain dominant forms of sexual orientation. However, there is a lack of understanding of how DEI programs can target people with multiple, possibly invisible, marginalized identities, such as asexuality. Furthermore, while DEI programs tend to provide valuable and necessary support spaces for students from marginalized backgrounds, they may not consider how marginalized students create their own resistance practices. In this paper, we explore the liminal space of invisible identity and its intersections with other identities through a case study of an asexual cis-gender woman undergraduate engineering student through the lens of transformational resistance and identity development. Through her narrative, we see how transformational resistance can occur at any part of the identity development process, though certain identities during these parts may not be salient or significant to the individual. This paper addresses the complexity in creating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) spaces for invisible marginalized identities and offers the experiences of the participant to question the bounds of inclusivity in these spaces. 

In this paper, we describe a queer engineering reading group comprised of undergraduate and graduate students and faculty members. Studies over the last decade have shown that LGBTQIA+ engineering students have continuously felt excluded and devalued in STEM spaces. A key factor in this chilly climate is the social-technical dualism that is often strictly enforced in engineering curriculum. Professors and students alike see discussing politics and social issues as irrelevant to the highly technical curriculum. As a result, queer identities are erased from engineering and students are never able to formally connect engineering with their queer (or other) identity in any meaningful way. In an effort to combat this, we have implemented a LGBTQIA+ reading group that challenges the depoliticizing culture of engineering and allows students to further connect to their engineering and queer identities. This reading group centers weekly discussions of relevant education and sociology literature about queer and/or STEM issues. Each week a different student summarizes the paper’s key concepts then facilitates group discussion where participants voice their personal connections to the themes of the paper. A wide variety of literature has been discussed, with a focus on the intersection of queer identity with other identities marginalized in STEM. Here we present the development and structure of the reading group and lessons learned over the course of the reading group offering in Fall 2020. Furthermore, we will explore the ways this group has helped augment queer engineering spaces and has served as a catalyst for student activism. Importantly, we have included student reflections of their experiences in the group and how the readings connect with their experiences as a queer engineering student.