ACI Fall 2021 Convention Honors Outstanding Contributions to the Concrete Industry

In recognition of their achievements, research, and service to ACI and the concrete industry, the American Concrete Institute Fall 2021 Virtual Convention will honor the following persons. The ACI Virtual Fall 2021 Convention is Oct. 17-21.

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The American Concrete Institute (ACI) has announced this year's list of individuals recognized for their outstanding contributions and dedication to the institute and the concrete industry. The Fall 2021 awardees consist of personal and paper award winners who will be recognized at the ACI Virtual Concrete Convention, October 17-21, 2021.

The following medals and awards recognize exemplary achievement, groundbreaking research, and service to ACI and the concrete industry. 

ARTHUR R. ANDERSON MEDAL – Ron Klemencic

Ron Klemencic, FACI, is Chairman and CEO of Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA), a structural and civil engineering firm headquartered in Seattle, WA, USA.

The Arthur R. Anderson Medal was established in 1972 by the Institute in recognition of Arthur R. Anderson, Past President of the Institute, for his imaginative and outstanding leadership and insistence on excellence of concrete quality for engineering works. The award is given for outstanding contributions to the advancement of knowledge of concrete as a construction material and need not be presented each year. All persons, firms, corporations, or organizations are eligible to receive the award.

ROGER H. CORBETTA CONCRETE CONSTRUCTOR AWARD – Chris A. Forster

Chris A. Forster, FACI, is Vice President of Operations for Largo Concrete, Inc., headquartered in Tustin, CA, USA. He has over 37 years of experience in the construction industry.    

The Roger H. Corbetta Concrete Constructor Award was established in 1972 by the Institute in recognition of Roger H. Corbetta, Past President of the Institute, for his creative leadership and his many outstanding contributions to the use of concrete for construction. The award is given to an individual or an organization who, or which, as a constructor, has made significant contributions to progress in methods of concrete construction.      

JOE W. KELLY AWARD – Mary Beth Deisz Hueste

Mary Beth Deisz Hueste, FACI, is a Professor in the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA. Hueste is a Fellow of ACI and is a member of the ACI Technical Activities Committee (TAC).

The Joe W. Kelly Award was established in 1974 in recognition of the contributions of Joe W. Kelly, Past President of the Institute, to concrete technology, his devotion to teaching, the advancement of his profession, and the use of concrete in construction. The award is given only for outstanding contributions to education in the broad field of concrete.     

ALFRED E. LINDAU AWARD – Werner Fuchs

Werner Fuchs, FACI, retired from his position as Director of Fastening Technology Research at the University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany, in 2021. He now works as an independent Consulting Engineer and as an Honorary Professor at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany.     

The Alfred E. Lindau Award is presented for outstanding contributions to reinforced concrete design practice and is given in memory of Alfred E. Lindau, a Past President of the Institute. Founded in 1947, the award is open to any and all persons, firms, or corporations involved in concrete design.     

HENRY C. TURNER MEDAL – Arturo Gaytan Covarrubias

Arturo Gaytan Covarrubias, FACI, is Innovation and Sustainability Manager at CEMEX México, based in Mexico City, Mexico, where he has worked in different positions for 18 years. He is also Treasurer of the Mexican Ready-Mix Concrete Association, Founder and President of the Mexican Institute for Sustainable Concrete, and Liaison Director of the ACI Northwest and ACI Southeast Mexico Chapters.   

The Henry C. Turner Medal was founded in 1927 by Henry C. Turner, Past President, American Concrete Institute. It is awarded for notable achievements in, or service to, the concrete industry. In making selections for the Turner Medal, the committee is not restricted to members of the Institute nor to the achievements of any particular period. It may be awarded once in any year.    

CHARLES S. WHITNEY MEDAL – Michael M. Sprinkel

Michael M. Sprinkel, FACI, is past Associate Director at the Virginia Transportation Research Council, Charlottesville, VA, USA, where he served in various research positions from 1972 to 2019. He directed the Materials Research Program from 1992 to 2017 and the Structures Research Program from 2017 to 2019. He is currently working part-time as a Senior Research Scientist.    

The Charles S. Whitney Medal is presented for Engineering Development and was founded in 1961 by Ammann and Whitney to honor the memory of Charles S. Whitney. It may be bestowed once in any year for noteworthy engineering development work in concrete design or construction. The recognition may be extended to a firm or agency alone or to an individual. Any outstanding engineering development work contributing importantly, through development of general engineering practice or through application in specific noteworthy projects, to the advancement of the sciences or arts of concrete design or construction, is eligible.

CONCRETE SUSTAINABILITY AWARD – Kimberly Waggle Kramer

Kimberly Waggle Kramer, FACI, is a Professor and the G.E. Johnson Construction Science Chair in the GE Johnson Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science at Kansas State University (KSU), Manhattan, KS, USA. In her role at KSU since 2003, Kramer has served as primary advisor for 53 graduate students in architectural engineering and has been a committee member for 48 additional students in architectural engineering and civil engineering. Periodically, she has been the faculty advisor for the ACI KSU Student Chapter.

ACI Concrete Sustainability Award—Given for demonstration or improvement in concrete’s sustainable attributes through research, design, education, or construction; and/or the use of concrete in innovative ways to contribute to a more sustainable built environment.     

ACI EDUCATION AWARD – Cecil Jones

Cecil Jones, FACI, is the President of Diversified Engineering Services (DES), Inc., located in Raleigh, NC, USA. Prior to establishing DES, Inc., he was the State Materials Engineer at the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Raleigh, NC, USA. He has over 45 years of experience in construction, materials, quality management, specification development, and research.    

The ACI Education Award—Recognizes an individual who has made notable contributions to the advancement of initiatives by the ACI Educational Activities Committee (EAC). These initiatives include documents, videos, or other products produced by EAC Committees; seminars; webinars; ACI University courses; and other products and programs developed by EAC or its committees. Notable contributions may be but are not limited to: leadership in the development of products or programs of EAC, significant advancement of or advocacy for the use of EAC products or programs, and contributions to the activities of EAC Committees.    

WASON MEDAL FOR MOST MERITORIOUS PAPER – Emmanuel K. Attiogbe 

Emmanuel K. Attiogbe, FACI, is a Research Engineer in private practice in Discovery Bay, CA, USA. He retired in 2016 as Head of Innovation for development of alternative reinforcements for concrete at BASF Construction Chemicals, now Master Builders Solutions. He has authored or coauthored over 60 technical papers and reports. He holds four patents on the development and evaluation of innovative materials to enhance the durability and structural performance of concrete.    

The Wason Medal for Most Meritorious Paper was founded in 1917 by Leonard C. Wason, Past President of the Institute, and has been awarded continuously since that date. It is awarded each year to the author or authors of the most meritorious paper published by the Institute. All original papers presented to the Institute and published by the Institute during the volume year for which the medal is awarded are eligible.     

ACI SYMPOSIUM VOLUMES AWARD – Kjell Tore Fosså, Anton Gjørven, Kåre O. Hæreid, Jameel Khalifa, Widianto

Kjell Tore Fosså is a Manager for Concrete Technology in Aker Solutions AS (former Kvaerner) and is a part-time Professor at the University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway. 

Anton Gjørven is a Concrete Design and FEMAnalysis Specialist and former Structural Engineer at Norconsult A.S., Sandvika, Norway.    

Kåre O. Hæreid has been the General Manager for Concrete Structures AS, Oslo, Norway, since 2010.

Jameel Khalifa is an Engineering Manager for Global Projects for ExxonMobil, Spring, TX, USA.

Widianto is a Lead Structural Engineer at ExxonMobil, currently working on an international project assignment in France.

The ACI Symposium Volume Award is given to the author or authors of the best overall article published in an ACI Symposium Volume that year.     

WASON MEDAL FOR MATERIALS RESEARCH – Deborah Glosser, O. Burkan Isgor, W. Jason Weiss

Deborah Glosser is an Assistant Professor in Engineering and Design and the Institute for Energy Studies at Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA.    

O. Burkan Isgor, FACI, is a Professor in the School of Civil and Construction Engineering at Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR.     

W. Jason Weiss, FACI, is the Edwards Distinguished Chair in Engineering at Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA, where he has served on the faculty for 6 years.    

The Wason Medal for Materials Research may be bestowed on the author(s) of a peer-reviewed Materials Journal paper published by the Institute that makes extraordinary contributions or impact on the state of knowledge of cement-based materials used in the construction industry.    

METE A. SOZEN AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN STRUCTURAL RESEARCH – Shih-Ho Chao, Youngjae Choi

Shih-Ho Chao is a Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA. He worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Lecturer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, until July 2007. He became a member of the University of Texas at Arlington faculty as an Assistant Professor in 2007, earned the title of Associate Professor in 2012, and became a full Professor in 2017. He has authored or coauthored over 100 technical papers and reports.     

Youngjae Choi is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California Irvine (UCI), Irvine, CA, USA. At UCI, he is conducting multiple projects that include three-dimensional (3-D) concrete printing of wind turbine towers and evaluating their seismic performance by conducting large-scale structural tests, as well as full-scale experimental tests to improve the connection durability of precast, prestressed voided slab bridge systems using nonproprietary engineered cementitious materials.     

The Mete A. Sozen Award for Excellence in Structural Research may be bestowed on the author(s) of a peer-reviewed Structural Journal paper published by the Institute that describes a notable achievement in experimental or analytical research that advances the theory or practice of structural engineering and, most importantly, recommends how the research can be applied to design.     

ACI CONCRETE INTERNATIONAL AWARD – Scott Tarr

Scott Tarr is a Consulting Engineer and President of North S.Tarr Concrete Consulting, P.C., headquartered in Dover, NH, USA. He has presented over 200 seminars and authored or coauthored over 250 technical reports and more than 70 technical publications, including the books Concrete Floors on Ground for the Portland Cement Association (PCA) and Guide to the Design and Construction of Concrete Toppings for Buildings for the American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC)    

The ACI Concrete International Award may be bestowed on the author(s) of articles published by Concrete International Magazine that clearly exemplifies knowledge needed to use concrete effectively to meet the demands of a changing world. Peer review is not required.      

Further citations on the awards and honorees can be found within the Convention Awards Program. 

You can register for the event at aciconvention.org.

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