March 3, 2010
Reston, Va. — The American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) has announced that Robert D. Nichol, P.E., F.ASCE, is the recipient the 2010 Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) award for lifetime achievement in management. The award will presented at the annual OPAL gala on March 25, 2010.
Nichol currently serves as chairman of the board of Moffatt & Nichol, one of the nation’s largest coastal engineering firms. He served as president of Moffat & Nichol until 2006, a position he held for more than 30 years. Nichol joined the firm in 1959 as a design engineer, and rose to become the company’s second president in 1975.
He has served as the U.S. Commissioner for the Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses, an organization that provides guidance for sustainable waterborne transport infrastructure for ports and waterways. Nichol was also appointed to the Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems for the National Research Council. Additionally, he was recently appointed to the Senior Executive Group of the Society of American Military Engineers.
Nichol has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of California, Davis and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota. He is also a registered professional engineer in 11 states. Nichol resides in Bodega, Calif.
Established in 1999, the OPAL awards recognize individuals for life-long contributions, accomplishments and achievements that have made significant differences in five areas of civil engineering: construction, design, education, government and management. Recipients in the four other categories include:
- Construction—Terence E. (Ed) Richardson, P.E.
- Design—Man-Chung Tang, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, NAE
- Education—David E. Daniel, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, NAE
- Government—John W. Morris II, LTG (ret.), P.E., F.ASCE, NAE
More information about the OPALs is available here: http://content.asce.org/handa/opal.html
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers 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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Contact:Leikny Johnson, 703-295-6413, ljohnson@asce.org