Sara Stratte
Application of Non-Destructive Technology to Document Seismic Damage on Historic Adobe
Sara Stratte completed her Masters of Science in Historic Preservation in 2018 and currently works as the Exhibit Specialist for Restoration at Channel Islands National Park where a 2018 earthquake caused damage to an adobe structure built in 1889. The extent of the damage to this building and other structures like it cannot be fully explored without invasive or destructive techniques. Stratte used the Smuggler’s Ranch, located on Santa Cruz Island, as a case study for non-destructive techniques to diagnose and document unseen deterioration conditions in adobe masonry.
Stratte chose Michael Spencer as her mentor. Spencer is chair of the Department of Historic Preservation at the University of Mary Washington and specializes in the application on non-destructive technologies, such as infrared thermography diagnostics, to historic preservation projects. Stratte developed protocols for using infrared thermography to adobe.
