SAN ANTONIO - The American Institute of Steel Construction today recognized outstanding individuals who are driving the present and future of structural steel design and construction.
The Institute presented the honors during the opening keynote of NASCC: The Steel Conference in San Antonio, which runs through Friday, March 22.
J. Lloyd Kimbrough Award
The Institute’s highest design honor, the Kimbrough Award honors engineers and architects who are universally recognized as the pre-eminent steel designers of their era. This prestigious award is presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the structural steel industry through his or her design work. Michael A. Grubb, PE, of M.A. Grubb and Associates, is only the 13th person to receive the Kimbrough Award since its inception in 1941.
Lifetime Achievement Awards
Lifetime Achievement Awards honor living individuals (industry members, designers, or educators) who have made a difference in the success of AISC and the structural steel industry.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipients are:
Senior Engineer Heather Gilmer, PE, of Pennoni for her significant contributions to the steel bridge industry
President Robert E. Shaw, Jr, PE, of Steel Structures Technology Center, Inc. for his work educating designers and fabricators on bolting and welding, his creation of the Student Steel Bridge Competition, and his continuing work on numerous AISC and industry committees
Professor of Civil Engineering Ronald D. Ziemian, PE, PhD, of Bucknell University for his contributions to AISC and the structural steel industry through his research, teaching, service on committees, his speaking engagements, and his many articles and papers on the stability of steel structures
Special Achievement Awards
A Special Achievement Award provides special recognition to living individuals (industry members, designers, or educators) who have demonstrated notable singular or multiple achievements in structural steel design, construction, research, or education.
Caroline R. Bennett, PE, PhD, Charles E. & Mary Jane Spahr Professor and Chair at the University of Kansas, for advancing knowledge about the behavior of hot-dipped galvanized steel structures
Iowa State University James L. and Katherine S. Melsa Dean of Engineering W. Samuel Easterling, PE, PhD, for Steel Diaphragm Innovation Initiative (SDII) research that drove impactful changes to standards governing the use of metal deck diaphragms in steel structures
Virginia Tech Professor Matthew R. Eatherton, SE, PhD, for Steel Diaphragm Innovation Initiative (SDII) research that drove impactful changes to standards governing the use of metal deck diaphragms in steel structures
Jerome F. Hajjar, PE, PhD, CDM Smith Professor and Department Chair at Northeastern University, for Steel Diaphragm Innovation Initiative (SDII) research that drove impactful changes to standards governing the use of metal deck diaphragms in steel structures
Johns Hopkins University Hackerman Professor of Civil and Systems Engineering Benjamin W. Schafer, PE, PhD, for Steel Diaphragm Innovation Initiative (SDII) research that drove impactful changes to standards governing the use of metal deck diaphragms in steel structures
Terry Peshia Early Career Faculty Awards
The Terry Peshia Early Career Faculty Award provides recognition to individuals who demonstrate promise in the areas of structural steel research, teaching, and/or other contributions to the structural steel industry.
Onur Avci, PE, PhD, assistant professor and Herbert P. Dripps Faculty Fellow at West Virginia University, for exceptional promise and continued excellence in structural steel research, teaching, and service to the industry
Assistant Professor Machel Morrison, PhD, of the University of California, San Diego, for exceptional promise and continued excellence in structural steel research, teaching, and service to the industry
T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award
Each year, AISC's T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award recognizes an outstanding lecturer and author whose technical paper or papers, published during the eligibility period, are considered an outstanding contribution to the engineering literature on fabricated structural steel.
The Higgins Award recipient traditionally gives the final keynote of the Steel Conference. Join us in the Stars at Night Ballroom at 12:30 p.m. Friday as 2024 T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award recipient Benjamin W. Schafer, PE, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University presents “Think Global, Buckle Local: Exploring Local Buckling in Structural Steel.”
Milek Fellowship
The Milek Fellowship is a four-year, $75,000-per-year award presented annually to a promising non-tenured university faculty member. The 2024 Milek Fellow, Clemson University’s Mohannad Zeyad (M.Z.) Naser, PE, PhD, was recognized for research intended to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to create a virtual assistant named SteelGPT to enhance the steel design process.