Instructors

Dr. Foinquinos holds a BS in Civil Engineering and a MS and PhD in Structural Engineering with a specialization in Structural Dynamics. He has 15 years of structural engineering practice which has been focused on bridge design: concrete, pre-stressed concrete, and steel. Dr. Foinquinos has taught courses in steel design, finite elements, and masonry design along with PE refresher courses at Florida International University (FIU). Dr. Foinquinos has published a chapter in the book titled “Wave Propagation in Continuous Media.”

Dr. Petracca has a BS in Electrical Engineering, a MS in Telecommunication Engineering, and a PhD in Computer Engineering. He has been teaching undergraduate and graduate courses for nine years. At School of PE, Dr. Petracca has proven teaching experience in Mathematics and Probability and Statistics.

Dr. Sezen received his Ph.D. degree from University of California, Berkeley and his Master's degree from Cornell University in New York (1996). He has published more than 100 technical reports, journal and conference papers on modeling, analysis and design of structures. He received the David C. McCarthy Engineering Teaching Award, College of Engineering, from The Ohio State University in 2009. He also received the Outstanding Engineering Educator Award from the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers in 2010. He is a Professor in the department of Civil Engineering at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He has been teaching structural analysis and design courses and conducting research in the field of structural engineering. At School of PE, Dr. Sezen has proven teaching experience in the following areas:

• Structural
• Lateral Forces:
  • Analysis of Structures
  • Design & Details of Structures ( Systems Integration ,Concrete-Buildings)
• Vertical Forces:
  • Analysis of Structures
  • Design & Details of Structures (Concrete-Buildings & Bridges)

Dr. Vargas has Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral degrees in Civil Engineering with specialization in Structural Engineering. He has 30 years’ experience in structural engineering, including concrete and steel bridge design, concrete segmental and pedestrian cable-stayed bridges for highway and railroad bridges.  Dr. Vargas is a past member of the PCI-ASBI Joint Committee for Precast Segmental Standards and development of the 2nd Ed. of the AASHTO “Guide Specifications for Design of Segmental Concrete Bridges.  He is a former member of ASCE National Technical Committees on Seismic Effects and LRFD, and a reviewer of scientific papers for the Journal of Structural Engineering.  Dr. Vargas has been a Lecturer at ASBI Seminars on the Design and Construction of Cantilever Segmental Bridges in 1998, 1999 and 2004.   Dr. Vargas is currently involved in the four most significant transportation/structures projects in the Miami area, amounting to $ 3 Billion of construction cost. At School of PE, Dr. Vargas has proven teaching experience in the following areas:

• Bridges Fundamentals
• Lateral Forces- Design & Details of Structures
  • General Structural  Considerations (Bridges, Buildings)
  • Structural Steel (Buildings)
  • Masonry
  • Foundations
  • Columns & Footings (Bridges)
• Vertical Forces- Design & Details of Structures:
  • Structural Steel (Bridges)
  • Other Elements (Bridges)