SPEECH
Dams, dikes, levees, floodwalls. What do all of these have in common? Well, for one, there is a small army of geotechnical engineers out there studying, analyzing, attending to, and improving upon these structures and doing so at the highest calibre, thanks in no small part to James M. Duncan, Professional Engineer and Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Dr. Duncan is regarded as one of the foremost experts in the field of geotechnical engineering, while being one of the best teachers in disseminating that expertise.
In being one of the rare individuals whose life’s work is reflected in quantity as well as quality, his contributions and achievements are simply too voluminous to list and ill deserving of a discriminating summary. Having 10 professional memberships to his name, Dr. Duncan has supervised 42 Ph.D. dissertations, conducted 20 research investigations, been honored with over 40 awards and lectureships, published 250 papers, 8 books and book chapters, 33 manuals and computer programs, and not in the least, written 98 research reports.
There are few noteworthy geotechnical projects that haven’t had the benefit of his expertise, having consulted on over 60 projects around the world. Of particular significance has been his co‐leadership of the Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force analyzing the floodwall and levees following Hurricane Katrina and determining how to prevent such failures in the future.
Dr. Duncan, however and in his own regard, is first and foremost an educator; given nearly half of his Ph.D. students are themselves members of university faculty. His mission of teaching engineering students in a committed and inspiring manner began at the University of California, Berkeley, representing the first half of his distinguished career. The latter half saw him at Virginia Tech where he was appointed the W. Thomas Rice Professor of Civil Engineering, and not long after, as University Distinguished Professor and more recently, retiring as University Distinguished Professor Emeritus.
For his 40 plus years of service as an exemplary mentor and teacher and his seminal contributions to his profession, the American Society of Civil Engineers is honored to present Dr. James M. Duncan with a lifetime achievement award in the field of education.