About Us

Mission Statement

To enrich the social, educational, and professional college experience of all civil engineering students with interest in structural design and earthquake engineering.

Team Overview

The Cal Seismic Design Team is a great way to meet people, gain useful experience, and learn about earthquake engineering! Our team consists of 3 modules (design, analysis, construction) all working together to create innovative 5-foot tall balsa wood model buildings. We compete with 40+ universities annually in an international competition hosted by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) where our buildings are tested under severe ground motions. Every year comes with new challenges and new fun opportunities for growth in academia and industry.

Team History

Established in 2011, the team is now 1 of 8 student run competition teams under the UC Berkeley’s Civil & Environmental Engineering Department. In competition, our team has consistently placed in the Top 5 best performing universities over the last 7 years out of 40+ universities around the world. Our team has grown steadily over the years from 20 members in 2011 to 45 in 2020. We strive to create a fun and engaging learning environment for all members of the civil engineering community.

We accept all interested students regardless of major, year, or GPA.