The Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) proudly recognized the following recipients at the Structures Congress 2015 in Portland, Oregon on April 23, 2015:
Left to right: Don Dusenberry, Dharma Pasala, Ozen Celik, Benjamin Schafer, Satish Nagarajaiah, Yozo Fujino, Charles Roeder, Jon Schmidt, Stan Caldwell, Roberto Leon, Larry Fahnestock, Mehrdad Sasani, Daniel Cox, John van de Lindt, Andy Herrmann, Laura Champion.
Structural Engineering Institute Awards
2015 Chapter of the Year Award
The 2015 SEI Chapter of the Year Award was given to the SEI Boston Chapter. The Boston Chapter has been very active in a variety of initiatives including technical presentations, conferences, tours, college outreach, and networking opportunities. They also made significant contributions to the Structures Congress 2014 local planning committee.
2015 Graduate Student Chapter of the Year
SEI presented the 2015 Graduate Student Chapter award to the University of Central Florida Graduate Student Chapter for their work in partnering with the local ASCE and SEI Chapters and branches to present seminars, training programs for high school students, and enrichment for the UCF Student Body.
W. Gene Corley Award
The 2015 W. Gene Corley Award was given to Stan R. Caldwell, P.E., SECB, F.SEI, F.AEI, F.ASCE, for his outstanding and generous leadership in many critical SEI initiatives and committees. An ASCE member since 1972, his contributions include Charter Member of SEI, founding member of AEI, the first person elected to the ASCE Board of Direction from the Technical Region, the ASCE Executive Committee, SEI Board of Governors representing ASCE, the SECB Board of Directors, the SELC Steering Committee, and establishment of the SEI Futures Fund.
Dennis L. Tewksbury Award
The 2015 Tewksbury Award was presented to Charles W. Roeder, Ph.D., P.E., F.SEI, M.ASCE. Dr. Roeder has been an ASCE member since 1970 and his contributions include charter member of SEI, SEI Technical Activities Division ExCom, Chair of the Dynamic Effects TAC, member of the SEI Awards Committee, 1998 Structures Congress Steering Committee, Chair of 2003 Structures Congress Steering Committee, and a member of several SEI committees in both the Technical and Codes and Standards Divisions.
Walter P. Moore, Jr. Award
The 2015 Walter P. Moore, Jr. Award was given to Gary Yet Kong Chock, S.E., D.CE, F.SEI, F.ASCE. Based in Hawaii, Mr. Chock’s project portfolio includes wind, tsunami, earthquake, and hurricane hazard research, building risk assessments, hazard mitigation planning, coastal flooding hazard analysis, building code development, and emergency response planning. He has worked on developing wind speed GIS-based mapping and topographical design provisions for adoption as State code amendments to the IBC. He led a group from ASCE/SEI to survey of tsunami-damaged areas of Japan with an interest in improving building codes.
SEI President’s Award
The 2015 SEI President’s Award was given to Jon A. Schmidt, P.E., SECB, BSCP, M.ASCE. Mr. Schmidt has more than 20 years of experience working on aviation, commercial, industrial, and institutional facilities for government, military, and private-sector clients. He is a nationally recognized thought leader and speaker on antiterrorism design of buildings, philosophy of engineering, and engineering ethics. Mr. Schmidt has served on many SEI/ASCE committees including Blast, Shock & Impact; Building Security Council; BPAD Executive Committee; chair of the Editorial Board for STRUCTURE; and the Engineering Philosophy Committee.
American Society of Civil Engineering Structural Awards
Shortridge Hardesty Award
The 2015 Shortridge Hardesty Award was given to Benjamin W. Schafer, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE. Dr. Schafer earned great respect for his solid analytical background, his deep knowledge of numerical techniques of structural analysis, and his rich experience as an experimentalist. He has produced design tools that are widely used to characterize the buckling behavior of thin-walled members. He has served on the Structural Stability Research Council, as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Structural Engineering, and as a member of several ASCE committees.
Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Prize
Up to five Huber Prizes are awarded each year for achievements in civil engineering research. Larry A. Fahnestock, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE is one of the 2014 winners of the Huber Prize. Dr. Fahnestock is known for his achievements in seismic behavior and design of steel wall and braced-frame systems. He combined large-scale experimental testing with nonlinear analysis to develop pioneering practical guidance and has significantly influenced the codes. He is a dedicated educator, seeking to motivate and encourage current and future generations of engineers.
Moisseiff Award
The 2015 Moisseiff Award was presented to Dharma T.R. Pasala, Ph.D.; Apostolos A. Sarlis, Ph.D., M.ASCE; Andrei M. Reinhorn, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE; Michael Constantinou, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE; Satish Nagarajaiah, Ph.D., F.SEI, M.ASCE; Douglas P. Taylor, P.E, M.ASCE, for the paper titled “Simulated Bilinear-Elastic Behavior in a SDOF Elastic Structure Using Negative Stiffness Device,” published in the February 2014 issue of the Journal of Structural Engineering. In selecting them for this award, the committee particularly noted the team’s findings to provide a seminal advance in influencing accepted design paradigms.
Raymond C. Reese Research Prize
The 2015 Raymond C. Reese Prize was presented to David B. Linton, P.E.; Rakesh Gupta, Ph.D., M.ASCE; Daniel T. Cox, Ph.D.; Mary Elizabeth (Oshnack) Berkes, P.E.; John Van De Lindt, Ph.D., F.ASCE; Milo Clauson, for their paper titled “Evaluation of Tsunami Loads on Wood Frame Walls at Full Scale,” published in the August 2013 issue of the Journal of Structural Engineering. The selection committee particularly noted the team’s research was accompanied by full-scale experimentation.▪
Visit the SEI Website to submit a nomination for the 2016 awards.
