University of Houston Professor Named Distinguished Member of National Civil Engineering Society

Reston, Va.—Jerry R. Rogers, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, Dist.M.ASCE, a professor at the University of Houston, was recently named a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Formerly known as honorary membership, distinguished membership is the Society’s highest accolade and recognizes those who have achieved eminence in a branch of engineering. The active roster of distinguished members is comprised of only 193 of the Society’s more than 140,000 members worldwide. Rogers—who is being honored for his distinguished service to increasing appreciation of the engineering profession, in particular, his leadership in the history and heritage of environmental and water resources— will be formally inducted on Thursday, November 6, 2008, at ASCE’s Annual Civil Engineering Conference in Pittsburgh.

Rogers has served as an associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Houston for more than 35 years and also spent one year at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, Miss. Prior to his work with the University of Houston and the USACE, Rogers was a visiting industrial professor at Southern Methodist University and an assistant professor of civil engineering at Rutgers University.

An active ASCE member, Rogers served on and chaired more than 200 committees in the areas of engineering history, water resources, flood control, drainage control, environmental issues and engineering education. He was responsible for leading the publication efforts for seven ASCE National Engineering History symposia and has edited seven ASCE publications that provide information for university and K-12 students and faculty on civil engineering history. Rogers also played an important role in the establishment of ASCE’s Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI).

In addition to his work with ASCE, Rogers is a member of the American Water Works Association (AWWA); the American Water Resources Association (AWRA); ASCE’s EWRI; the Engineering, Science and Technology Council of Houston; the National Society of Professional Engineers; Chi Epsilon/Tau Beta Pi; and is a diplomate of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers. Among his numerous awards, Rogers has received the ASCE Houston Branch’s Award of Honor and Engineer of the Year Award, the ASCE Texas Section’s History and Heritage Award, ASCE’s Wisely Award, AWRA’s Icko Iben Award and Excellence in Civil Engineering Education’s (ExCEEd) Leadership Award. Rogers is also active in the Houston Chamber of Commerce, the Regional Water Committee, the Texas Water Policy Committee and his local church.

Rogers received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the University of Arkansas and his doctorate in water and urban planning from Northwestern University. He is a resident of Houston.

Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) represents more than 140,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. For more information, visit www.asce.org.

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