Pursuing a PhD at UT Austin has been an exceptional experience. First of all, I would like to thank Dr. Helwig for the trust he has constantly had in me. Over the last four years, I have felt free to always follow what I thought was most appropriate for the development of the software presented in this dissertation. Although that was not always easy, I have also tried to grasp as much as possible of his deep knowledge in structural stability and steel bridge design. Dr. Williamson's guidance

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... advice has always been truly beneficial. His rigor in the thinking process is admirable, and I thank him for his constant encouragements. Dr. Bayrak, Dr. Clayton and Dr. Engelhardt are wonderful professors. It has been a true honor to be your student. Thank you also to Dr. Landis for being part of my graduate committee, and to Jason Stith for his suggestions early in the project. Jason kindly left me a few things to improve in his program, which turned out to be the core of my research here at UT. I will not forget the friends I made during my time in Austin. Colter Roskos is as generous as talented, and I wish him the best for his career. The same applies to Stalin Armijos, who started together as I, as well as Gloriana Arrieta, Kostas Belivanis, Cristobal