Story updated June 21, 2021
Dan M. Frangopol, the inaugural Fazlur R. Khan Endowed Chair of Structural Engineering and Architecture at Lehigh University, is the recipient of the 2020 Alfred M. Freudenthal Medal awarded by the Engineering Mechanics Institute (EMI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Frangopol, who is a Distinguished Member of ASCE, a past Vice President of EMI, and an Inaugural Fellow of EMI, has been recognized for his “outstanding contributions to the advancement of probabilistic, reliability and risk methods in civil engineering, particularly in developing probabilistic models for life-cycle performance assessment, maintenance and optimum management of civil infrastructure systems in diverse loading environments.”
According to ASCE, which represents more than 150,000 members of the civil engineering profession in 177 countries, this prestigious medal is awarded every two years to “an individual in recognition of distinguished achievement in safety and reliability studies applicable to any branch of civil engineering.”
ASCE established the award in 1975 to honor Freudenthal, who is recognized as the “father” of structural reliability. Due to the pandemic, the award was presented during the ASCE-EMI/PMCVirtual Conference, held on May 25-28, 2021. View Frangopol's award acceptance video on the Lehigh Engineering YouTube channel.
Frangopol is regarded as a worldwide authority on structural reliability, optimization, and life-cycle engineering. Throughout his distinguished career of research, education, and service, he has received a number of awards from ASCE, including the 2020 Raymond C. Reese Research Prize, the 2019 George W. Housner Structural Control and Monitoring Medal, the 2019, 2004, and 1998 State-of-the-Art of Civil Engineering Awards, the 2016 Outstanding Projects and Leaders Awards (OPAL) Lifetime Achievement Award in Education, the 2016 Alfredo Ang Award on Risk Analysis and Management of Civil Infrastructure, the 2015 Alfred Noble Prize, the 2014 and 2001 J. James R. Croes Medals, the 2012 Arthur M. Wellington Prize, the 2007 Ernest E. Howard Award, the 2005 Nathan M. Newmark Medal, and the 2003 Moisseiff Award.
Read more about Frangopol’s research and achievements here.
