Gifts in Action - Professor Reza Mesri

MEET PROF. MESRI

Dr. Mesri is the recipient of the Ralph B. Peck Professorship in Civil Engineering. His research focused on construction related to soft ground (i.e. building airports off-shore), stability of slopes and ground modification. Mesri and Professor Peck worked together for nearly 15 years to publish the third edition of “Soil Mechanics in Engineering Practice.” The original author of this book was Karl Terzaghi, the pioneer of geotechnical engineering.

Without this gift, much of Professor Mesri’s research would have been delayed. This endowment enabled him to focus on his research and assist his students financially for their education, equipment for their research and supplies for their theses. After he received this professorship, Mesri received worldwide recognition for his contributions to the field of geotechnical engineering.

What he says

“Receiving this gift is very special. I have a great respect for Professor Peck because he is one of the most influential engineers of the 20th century. My research assistants have contributed hard work and great dedication. To them I owe my main incentive to organize knowledge, help create new knowledge and organize a collection of seemingly unrelated observed facts into unified theories, concepts and principles,” said Mesri on receiving the professorship.

The Ralph B. Peck Professorship in Civil Engineering

The Ralph B. Peck Professorship in Civil Engineering was created to generate knowledge and research for geotechnical engineering, a relatively young and dynamic field.