VICKSBURG, Miss. - Robert Browning IV was recently named the 2014 Young Engineer of the Year for the Mississippi Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Browning has worked as a research structural engineer at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory for the past five years. As a member of ASCE’s Blast, Shock and Impact Committee for the past six years, Browning’s award cited his service to the advancement of the engineering profession and for his contributions to ASCE.
In his position, Browning has provided computational support to numerous ERDC projects, most notably those requiring large parameter studies. In 2012, he received an Achievement Medal for Civilian Service for his work supporting the Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience program. In 2013, he and his colleagues received an ERDC Research and Development Achievement Award for their development of hasty retrofits to indigenous structures.
Growing up on a family farm near Selma, Alabama, Browning earned a bachelor’s in civil engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a master’s from Auburn University, specializing in structural engineering. Upon completion of a master’s, he worked for Southern Research in Birmingham, where he was involved in blast-resistant research for the U.S. Department of State.