Structural Stability Research Council

The award has been established in honor of the late Lynn S. Beedle, an international authority on stability and the development of code criteria for steel and composite structures. He was a leader and outstanding contributor to the work of the Structural Stability Research Council for a period of more than 50 years, establishing the council as the pre-eminent organization worldwide in the area of structural stability. Through Lynn Beedle’s dedicated work and leadership in the national and international arenas, the structural engineering profession has seen advanced concepts developed into practical engineering tools. He consistently and successfully endeavored to advance collaboration between researchers, engineers and code writers worldwide.

Recipients of the Lynn S. Beedle Award must meet the following criteria:

Long time member of SSRC.

A worldwide leading stability researcher or designer of structures with significant stability issues.

A leader in fostering cooperation between professionals worldwide.

Significant contributions to national and international design code development.

The SSRC Executive Committee will serve as the award committee. The award may be presented as frequently as annually. An individual can only receive the award once.

The award will be presented at the SSRC Annual Stability Conference. It consists of a framed certificate, signed by the SSRC Chair and Vice Chair.

2010 Award Winner

Dr. Reidar Bjorhovde

Presented May 14, 2010

Dr.Reidar Bjorhovde is cited for his scholarly work on column and frame stability as well as load and resistance factor design (LRFD), including the landmark research work that led to the development of the SSRC column curves. These are the basis for the column stability criteria in current American, Canadian and South African codes for the design of steel structures. Bjorhovde is also cited for his leadership role with SSRC, as Council Chairman 1998-2002 and a member of the Executive Committee for many years. He has played a leading role in a number of activities of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and numerous international organizations.

A Fellow of ASCE, Bjorhovde received doctoral degrees from the Norwegian Institute of Technology in Trondheim, Norway, and Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He is now President of The Bjorhovde Group, a consulting firm located in Tucson, Arizona. His career includes professorships at the University of Alberta, the University of Arizona and the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of a large number of publications.

Bjorhovde has received numerous honors, including the T. R. Higgins Award of AISC, the J. James R. Croes Medal, the Shortridge Hardesty Award and the George Winter Award of ASCE, the Duggan Medal of the Engineering Institute of Canada, the IMCA Award of the Mexican Institute of Steel Construction, the NATO Senior Guest Scientist Award, and the prestigious Research Fellowship of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Singapore Structural Steel Society. He is further recognized through inclusion in a number of editions of Who's Who and similar publications.

Past Beedle Award Winners

2002	Prof. T.V Galambos	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Campus
2004	Prof. Yuhshi Fukumoto	Fukuyama University
2005	Prof. William McGuire	Cornell University
2006	Prof. Joseph Yura	University of Texas at Houston
2007	Prof. D.J. Laurie Kennedy	University of Alberta
2008	Prof. Donald R. Sherman	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
2009	Prof. Wei-Wen Yu	Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly University of Missouri-Rolla)