Justin Ocel, Ph.D., P.E. (center) accepts congratulations from Alex Wilson, Manager of Customer Technical Service for ArcelorMittal USA and Chairman of the Steel Market Development Institute Steel Bridge Task Force (left); and Ed Wasserman, Director of Structures for the Tennessee Department of Transportation and Chairman of the AASHTO-T14 Committee (right).
Photo credit: Steel Market Development Institute
Robert J. Dexter Memorial Lecture
Congratulations to Justin Ocel, Ph.D., P.E., recipient of the 2010 Robert J. Dexter Memorial Lecture! The Robert J. Dexter Memorial Lecture provides an opportunity for an individual early in his/her career in structural engineering to present a lecture on his/her steel bridge activities to the SMDI Steel Bridge Task Force and to participate in its semiannual three-day meeting. The Steel Bridge Task Force is made up of the United States’ leading steel bridge experts.
The program was instituted in 2005 to honor Robert J. Dexter, associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Minnesota. An internationally recognized expert on steel fracture and fatigue problems, Professor Dexter died on November 16, 2004.
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Past Recipients:
- Emmett A. Sumner III, Ph.D. (2009)
- Jennifer Righman McConnell, Ph.D (2007)
- Reagan Herman, Ph.D (2006)
- Dr. Robert Connor, Purdue University (2005)
Richard S. Fountain Award
Dr. Ahmad Itani (center) receives the 2011 Richard S. Fountain award from SMDI Steel Bridge Task Force Chairman Alex Wilson, Manager of Customer Technical Services for ArcelorMittal USA (left); and Gregory R. Perfetti, Chairman of the AASHTO T-14 Steel Bridge Structures Committee and State Bridge Design Engineer, Structure Design Unit, North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Photo credit: Steel Market Development Institute
Congratulations! The 2011 Richard S. Fountain Award goes to Ahmad M. Itani, Ph.D., P.E., S.E., F. ASCE from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR).
The Richard S. Fountain Award is presented annually to a member of the SMDI Steel Bridge Task Force and AASHTO Technical Committee for Structural Design to recognize leadership in steel bridge research and outstanding efforts to advance AASHTO specifications through the Steel Bridge Task Force. Richard S. Fountain is the founder of the Steel Bridge Task Force.
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Past Recipients:
- John M. Kulicki, P.E., Modjeski and Masters, Inc. (2009)
- William J. Wright, Federal Highway Administration (2008);
- Donald W. White, Professor of Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials at the Georgia Institute of Technology (2007);
- Dean C. Krouse, Steel Bridge Consultant (2006);
- Dennis R. Mertz, Associate Professor, University of Delaware (2005);
- Camille Rubeiz, former Director of Transportation and Infrastructure at AISI (2003);
- Professor Karl Frank, University of Texas at Austin (2002); and Mike Grubb, BSDI Ltd. (2001).
In Memoriam:
Members of the SMDI Steel Bridge Task Force and SMDI staff extend their condolences to the family of Richard S. Fountain, who passed away on March 14, 2011 at the age of 85. We appreciate all that he did to significantly advance the competitiveness of steel bridge design in the marketplace. More information on his many contributions to the industry can be found here.
CERF Award
A team consisting of members from AISI, the U.S. Navy’s Carderock Division, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) were awarded the 1997 Civil Engineering Research Foundation (CERF) Charles Pankow Award for Innovation for the development of high-performance steel for bridges. The award was presented on October 21, 1997 at the CERF annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
The Pankow Award for Innovation was established in 1996 to complement existing industry awards. Named for industry visionary Charles J. Pankow, the award recognizes organizations working collaboratively to bring innovative civil engineering ideas into practice. As a leader in the civil engineering industry for nearly 50 years, Pankow was instrumental in launching CERF, and he served as one of the Foundation's first board members and chairman of CERF's New Century Partnership.
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