Magued Iskander, PhD, PE, F.ASCE, is a Professor of Geotechnical and Chair of the Civil and Urban Engineering Department at New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering. He is widely recognized as the leading authority on physical modeling of geotechnical applications using transparent soils. ProfessorIskander served as Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-PI on over $12 Million of research and educational grants and contracts, including the NSF CAREER Award. He is a Fellow of The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Dr. Iskander authored 4 books, edited 10 books, and published over 150 papers. He graduated 9 doctoral and 31 masters' students.Stephan Bless, ScD, F.APS, F.IBS, is a Research Professor in the Department of Civil and Urban Engineering at New York University Polytechnic School ofEngineering. Before joining NYU he was Head of the Hypervelocity Effects Division at the University of Texas Institute for Advanced Technology. He is an expert in impact effects and the dynamic behavior of materials, with extensive publications in shock physics, terminal ballistics, and strength of materials. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the International Ballistics Society. He can be reached at sbless@nyu.edu.Mehdi Omidvar, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Manhattan College. He received his PhD from New York University, where he studied the macro and micro scale behavior of natural and artificial sands to rapid penetration. He has published over 30 articles dealing with granular mechanics, soil dynamics, and nonlinear dynamics.