The TRB is a division of the National Research Council, a nonprofit institution that provides expertise in science and technology to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The council is jointly administered by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine.
Zatar has been active with the TRB’s National Committee on Structural Fiber Reinforced Polymers, among the largest and most prestigious international committees on the subject of Structural Fiber Reinforced Polymers. A member of the TRB for more than 10 years, Zatar was appointed as chair of this committee in 2015. The committee is concerned with the development and use of structural applications of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites for transportation-related structures, including bridges, maintenance, buildings, pipes, sign and luminaire support poles, guide rails, and guard rails.
During the annual meeting, Zatar chaired two committee meetings on Structural Fiber Reinforced Polymers and the session on FRP Composites Innovations and Applications. He also co-chaired the session on Corrosion-Resistant Prestressing Strands of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer and Stainless Steel in Highway Structures, was an active committee member in a working group on bridge data analysis and the session on structures.
As chair of the National Committee on Structural Fiber Reinforced Polymers, Zatar organizes sessions at TRB annual and mid-year meetings, develops research-need statements to for the TRB database, develops synthesis topics, arranges for special publications and serves as a liaison with technical committees and constituency groups, including the Federal Highway Administration Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites virtual team, the American Concrete Institute and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
Zatar says he has worked to continually acquire the latest knowledge in the field, transferring and implementing the best practices for repair technologies and benefiting the infrastructure system in West Virginia and the United States.
For more information, contact Zatar by phone at 304-696-8864.