NCST Investigation of the 

Champlain Towers Collapse

Judith Mitrani-Reiser, Lead Investigator

Glenn Bell, Associate Lead Investigator

David Goodwin, NCST Investigator

James Harris, NCST Investigator

Youssef Hashash, NCST Investigator

Georgette Hlepas, NCST Investigator

Ken Hover, NCST Investigator

Scott Jones, NCST Investigator

Jack Moehle, NCST Investigator

Sissy Nikolaou, NCST Investigator

Fahim Sadek, NCST Investigator

Kamel Saidi, NCST Investigator

Chris Segura, NCST Investigator

Jonathan Weigand, NCST Investigator

Source: NIST
Response effort after building collapse

Source: NIST
First specimens 

of building 

evidentiary 

debris are 

extracted days 

after collapse

Source: NIST
Source: NIST

Press Conference on 

June 30, 2021 

announcing launch of 

NCST investigation
NIST coordinates 

evidence 

identification and 

handling procedures 

with the Incident 

Command

Source: 

Miami-Dade 

County, NIST
NIST 

engineers 

help identify 

evidence 

from a safe 

distance

Source: NIST
Source: NIST

Experts from NSF, FSU, 

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, and 

VA Beach Fire Dept. support 

remote sensing activities Source: NIST
NCST AC Meeting, 

September 2017

Team Readiness: 

post-event 

reconnaissance 

enhanced by drones
Experts from FEMA, NSF, USGS, and 

USACE support remote sensing activities.

Source: NSF, NIST
NCST AC Meeting, 

August 2018

Team Readiness: 

post-event 

reconnaissance 

enhanced by GISbased platforms and 

remote sensing 

equipment
NIST establishes evidence tagging protocols with first 

responders

Source: NIST
Source: WSVN
NCST AC Meeting, 

Sept 2019

NCST investigations 

enhanced by 

proactive data ingest 

and data storage 

tools
NIST waited for 

collapsed site to be 

cleared, dewatered, and 

safe before entering. Source: NIST
NIST conducts visual inspection and nondestructive testing of slab, with USACE

Source: NIST
NIST conducts a subsurface 

investigation, with USACE and 

Disaster Resilience Research Grant 

Awardee (GAtech) Source: NIST
NCST AC Meeting, 

Sept 2019

Post-event 

reconnaissance 

enhanced by 

accounting for 

uncertainties 

introduced in field 

data collection
Source: NIST

NIST’s investigation will 

include recommendations to 

improve the safety and 

structural integrity of 

buildings
NIST announces investigative team on Aug 25th

Champlain Tower NCST Investigation

Judith Mitrani-Reiser, Lead Investigator

Glenn Bell, Associate Lead Investigator

Project One:

Building and 

Code History

Leads:

Jonathan 

Weigand (NIST)

James Harris 

(Consultant)

Project Two:

Evidence 

Preservation

Leads:

David Goodwin 

(NIST) 

Chris Segura 

(NIST)

Project Three:

Remote Sensing 

Analysis

Leads:

Kamel Saidi 

(NIST)

Georgette Hlepas 

(USACE)

Project Four:

Materials Science

Leads:

Scott Jones 

(NIST)

Ken Hover 

(Cornell)

Project Five:

Geotechnical 

Engineering

Leads:

Sissy Nikolaou 

(NIST)Yo

Youssef Hashash 

(Consultant)

Project Six:

Structural 

Engineering

Leads:

Fahim Sadek 

(NIST) 

Jack Moehle 

(UC Berkeley)Yo
NCST AC Meeting, 

June 2021

NCST investigations 

enhanced by 

proactive data 

management 

procedures
NIST Engineering Laboratory

Structures Group (MSSD)

Infrastructure Materials Group (MSSD)

Earthquake Engineering Group (MSSD)

Community Resilience Group (MSSD)

Intelligent Systems Division

Fire Research Division

EL Data, Security, Technology Group

EL Applied Economics Office

NIST

Physical Measurement Laboratory

Materials Measurement Laboratory

Public Affairs Office

Office of Chief Counsel

Program Office

Management and Organization Office

Acquisition & Agreements Mngmt. Office

Grants Management Division

Federal

Federal Emergency Mngmt. Agency

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

U.S. Geological Survey

National Science Foundation

Local and State

Miami-Dade County Mayor’s Office,

Fire, Police, and Building Departments

Town of Surfside

City of Miami Beach

Florida Department of Emergency Mngmt.

Florida Department of Transportation

Virginia Beach Fire Department

USAR Task Forces

Collaborate 

Coordinate

Cooperate
Thank you

Judith Mitrani-Reiser, Ph.D.

judith.mitrani-reiser@nist.gov

Lead Investigator, Champlain Towers NCST Investigation

National Institute of Standards and Technology

U.S. Department of Commerce