FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 9, 2011 — Roberto Leon, William Segui, Atorod Azizinamini, David Platten, Reidar Bjorhovde, Karl Frank, David I. Ruby, and Jon Magnusson are honored by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) for their great contributions to the advancement of the structural steel design and construction industry. The award recipients will be recognized on May 11 at the 2011 NASCC: The Steel Conference in Pittsburgh. The Special Achievement Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated notable achievements in structural steel design, construction, research, or education. This award honors individuals who have made a positive and substantial impact on the structural steel design and construction industry. This year's award recipients are:
Roberto Leon, P.E., Ph.D., professor, Georgia Tech. Leon has made significant contributions to the AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings and the AISC Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings. He is honored for his research in the design of composite steel/concrete structural systems.
William Segui, P.E., Ph.D., professor, University of Memphis. Segui has fulfilled the educational needs of countless faculty and students with the publication of his textbook, Steel Design. In his book he explains the design of steel structures clearly and thoroughly with many useful design examples.
Atorod Azizinamini, professor, University of Nebraska. Azizinamini is honored for his development of a new short-span bridge concept using a folded plate and inverted tub configuration.
David Platten, Walter P Moore. He is honored as structural principal in charge of the Dallas Cowboys Stadium for its innovative and record-setting long-span structure.
The Lifetime Achievement Award honors individuals who have made a difference in the advancement of the structural steel design and construction industry. The award gives special recognition to individuals who have provided outstanding service over a sustained period of years to AISC and the structural steel design/construction/academic community. This year's award recipients are:
Reidar Bjorhovde, P.E., Ph.D., president of The Bjorhovde Group. Bjorhovde is honored as a long-time contributor to AISC publications. His many contributions include serving as Editor of the Journal of Constructional Research, authoring around 250 industry papers, serving on the AISC Specification Committee for more than 20 years and also in the education field as a professor at the University of Alberta, University of Arizona, and University of Pittsburgh.
Karl Frank, Ph.D., emeritus professor, University of Texas, Austin. Frank is honored as a long-time contributor to AISC programs. He developed the AASHTO Specifications related to steel bridges and is the newest member of the Partners in Education committee. He also serves as a member of the Research Council on Structural Connections.
David I. Ruby, S.E., P.E., Ruby + Associates. Ruby is honored for his contribution of expertise through publications, seminars, and articles covering good practices in design and construction, and constructability. He is a strong industry advocate and is involved with many organizations including AISC, CASE, and SEAMI.
Jon Magnusson, P.E., chairman CEO, Magnusson Klemencic Associates. Magnusson is honored for his significant achievements in steel design and construction, and he served as a key voice of reason in the discussion of structural robustness and integrity following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Related Stories
| Oct 12, 2010
Richmond CenterStage, Richmond, Va.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Bronze Award. The Richmond CenterStage opened in 1928 in the Virginia capital as a grand movie palace named Loew’s Theatre. It was reinvented in 1983 as a performing arts center known as Carpenter Theatre and hobbled along until 2004, when the crumbling venue was mercifully shuttered.
| Oct 12, 2010
University of Toledo, Memorial Field House
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Memorial Field House, once the lovely Collegiate Gothic (ca. 1933) centerpiece (along with neighboring University Hall) of the University of Toledo campus, took its share of abuse after a new athletic arena made it redundant, in 1976. The ultimate insult occurred when the ROTC used it as a paintball venue.
| Oct 12, 2010
Owen Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Officials at Michigan State University’s East Lansing Campus were concerned that Owen Hall, a mid-20th-century residence facility, was no longer attracting much interest from its target audience, graduate and international students.
| Oct 12, 2010
Gartner Auditorium, Cleveland Museum of Art
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Gartner Auditorium was originally designed by Marcel Breuer and completed, in 1971, as part of his Education Wing at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Despite that lofty provenance, the Gartner was never a perfect music venue.
| Oct 12, 2010
Cell and Genome Sciences Building, Farmington, Conn.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Administrators at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington didn’t think much of the 1970s building they planned to turn into the school’s Cell and Genome Sciences Building. It’s not that the former toxicology research facility was in such terrible shape, but the 117,800-sf structure had almost no windows and its interior was dark and chopped up.
| Oct 12, 2010
The Watch Factory, Waltham, Mass.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards — Gold Award. When the Boston Watch Company opened its factory in 1854 on the banks of the Charles River in Waltham, Mass., the area was far enough away from the dust, dirt, and grime of Boston to safely assemble delicate watch parts.
| Oct 12, 2010
Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, Cleveland, Ohio
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Gold Award. The Cuyahoga County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument was dedicated on the Fourth of July, 1894, to honor the memory of the more than 9,000 Cuyahoga County veterans of the Civil War.
| Oct 12, 2010
Building 13 Naval Station, Great Lakes, Ill.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Gold Award. Designed by Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt and constructed in 1903, Building 13 is one of 39 structures within the Great Lakes Historic District at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill.
| Oct 12, 2010
Full Steam Ahead for Sustainable Power Plant
An innovative restoration turns a historic but inoperable coal-burning steam plant into a modern, energy-efficient marvel at Duke University.
| Oct 12, 2010
From ‘Plain Box’ to Community Asset
The Mid-Ohio Foodbank helps provide 55,000 meals a day to the hungry. Who would guess that it was once a nondescript mattress factory?
