ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 I want to thank Dr. Raphael T. Haftka for offering me the opportunity to complete

my Ph.D. study under his exceptional guidance. He provided the necessary funding to

complete my doctoral studies and support me to attend many academic conferences.

Without his patience, guidance, knowledge, and constant encouragement, this work

would not have been possible. Dr. Haftka made an immense contribution to this

dissertation and my academic growth, as well as my professional and personal life.

 I would also like to thank the members of my supervisory committee: Dr. Peter G.

Ifju, Dr. Theodore F. Johnson, Dr. Andre I. Khuri, and Dr. Bhavani V. Sankar. I am

grateful for their willingness to review my research and provide constructive comments

that helped me to complete this dissertation. Special thanks go to Dr. David Bushnell for

his help with the PANDA2 program and stiffened panel analysis and design. Special

thanks go to Dr. Vicente J. Romero for many helpful discussions and collaboration in

wntmig papers.

 Financial support provided by grant NAG-1-2177, contract L-9889 and grant

URETI from NASA is gratefully acknowledged.

 My colleagues in the Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization Research

Group at the University of Florida also deserve thanks for their help and many fruitful

discussions. Special thanks go to Palaniappan Ramu, Thomas Singer, and Dr. Satchi

Venkataraman for their collaboration in publishing papers.

 My parents deserve my deepest appreciation for their constant love and support.