Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Reston, Va.—Paul F. Mlakar, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, Senior Research Scientist at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, was recently named a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). ASCE’s highest accolade, distinguished membership recognizes eminence in a branch of engineering and is currently comprised of only 192 of the Society’s 144,000 members worldwide. Mlakar will be formally inducted at the Celebration of Leaders luncheon during ASCE’s 140th Annual Civil Engineering Conference in Las Vegas, which will be held from October 21 to 23, 2010.
ASCE is recognizing Mlakar for his demonstrated leadership in forensic civil engineering. He has made significant contributions to structural assessments following catastrophic events, is highly adept at effectively communicating technical issues to the public and has shown great dedication to ASCE and our nation.
Mlakar is a senior research scientist for weapons effects and structural dynamics. In this role, he conducts research and guides the overall program, which focuses on the response of structures to extreme loads. He has led U.S. initiatives on worldwide weapons effects and structural dynamics research and has established himself as one of the preeminent forensic civil engineers in the country.
Mlakar has led teams through investigations of some of the most high-profile events in U.S. history. He participated in the investigation of the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma and he led the ASCE team during the 9/11 Pentagon building performance study. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Mlakar also lead the Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force which assessed the performance of the New Orleans hurricane protection system.
An active member of ASCE, Mlakar was a member of the 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure Task Committee, and currently chairs a subcommittee developing a standard for blast protection of buildings. He is also a member of the committee developing a standard for mitigating disproportionate collapse as well as the Technical Council on Forensic Engineering.
Mlakar graduated second in his class from the U.S. Military Academy. He subsequently earned a master’s and doctorate degrees in engineering science from Purdue University. He is a registered professional engineer, and currently resides in Vicksburg, Miss.
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) represents more than 144,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. For more information, visit www.asce.org.
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