ERDC Researcher Honored

Published Feb. 9, 2012

Feb. 9, 2012

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The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has announced that Dr. Richard Stockstill, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, Miss., was selected to receive the society's Hydraulic Structures Medal for 2012.  Stockstill will travel to Albuquerque, N.M. May 23 to receive his award, which will be presented at the Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) annual congress.

The award is given for significant contributions to the advancement of hydraulic engineering as applied to hydraulic structures.

Stockstill, a researcher with the ERDC Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL), is being recognized for his career contributions in advancing the capabilities for numerical modeling of hydraulic structures. The results of his work have been used extensively throughout the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the engineering community.

“It’s just the most meaningful award I’ve ever received and quite a surprise, actually,” Stockstill said.  “First off, because it is from ASCE: if you look back at the winners of this since 1984, the names of the recipients are highly regarded in my book.  Eduard Naudascher, Jacob Odgard, Willi Hager and Hank Falvey and all the people I look up to, those whom I have used for research and references, it just means a lot to me to join them.

On another note, another level, I’m surrounded here by two CHL individuals who’ve won this.  Dr. Steve Maynord and Dr. John Hite have also won this medal, Steve in 1997 and John in 2005, so there are three of us in a row here.  Only four people from ERDC have ever won, so that is a pretty big deal to me too.”

The Hydraulic Structures Medal was instituted in 1983 to honor the contributions of Melvin M. Culp and William O. Ree for their development of standard procedures for the design and application of hydraulic structures and for their exemplary ethical and professional standards.

The award consists of a gold-plated medal and a cash prize awarded annually by the executive committee of the ASCE board of directors, with input from the governing board of the EWRI.

The ERDC is the premier research and development facility for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with more than 2,500 employees, $1.2 billion in facilities and an annual research program exceeding $1.5 billion. It conducts research in both military and civil works mission areas for the Department of Defense and the nation.