IIT Bhubaneswar Hosts International Workshop on Fire Safety in Steel and Composite Structures

Bhubaneswar, 18th September 2025: The School of Infrastructure, IIT Bhubaneswar, in collaboration with the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), successfully organized a one-day International Workshop on Structural Instability Analysis of Thin-Walled Steel Structures Under Fire-Induced Thermo-Mechanical Loading, with a special focus on Fire Safety in Steel and Composite Structures, on 17th September 2025. The event was supported under the Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC), Ministry of Education, Government of India.

The workshop brought together leading experts, government officials, industry professionals, and students to deliberate on challenges and advancements in fire-safe structural design.

Dr. Kamal Lochan Mishra (IAS), Executive Director, OSDMA, graced the occasion as Chief Guest. In his address, he emphasized the significance of integrating academic knowledge with disaster management practices, noting that technical expertise is crucial for enhancing community safety and resilience.

Prof. Venkatesh Kodur, Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, USA, delivered the keynote lectures. Drawing from his experience as part of the expert team that investigated the World Trade Centre collapse during the 9/11 attacks, he shared insights into structural stability under fire, advanced design methodologies, and innovations in composite construction for enhanced fire resistance. He also led a panel discussion on future directions in fire safety research.

Other distinguished speakers included Prof. Gaurav Srivastava (IIT Gandhinagar), who discussed fire-resistant structural design; Prof. M.Z. Naser (Clemson University, USA), who highlighted the use of machine learning in predicting fire response of structures, and Dr. Anil Agarwal (IIT Hyderabad), who presented on designing robust composite connections for fire performance.

The event saw active participation from OSDMA, Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO), Public Works Department (PWD) Odisha, RITES, AIMIL Limited, along with faculty, researchers, and students from IIT Bhubaneswar and OUTR Bhubaneswar.

Discussions focused on material strength degradation, stability challenges, and research-based design guidelines for fire resilience. The valedictory session acknowledged the contributions of all experts and participants, marking the workshop as a significant stride toward strengthening fire safety engineering and disaster preparedness.