Nomination Deadline: November 1st

This award was established and endowed in 1960 by the Engineering Mechanics Division, now the Engineering Mechanics Institute, with gifts presented by the many friends and admirers of Theodore von Karman, Hon.M.ASCE.

Recent winner

  • 2025: Somnath Ghosh, Ph.D., F.EMI, M.ASCE

View all winners

Rules

  1. The award is known as the Theodore von Karman Medal.
  2. The award recognizes distinguished achievement in engineering mechanics, applicable to any branch of civil engineering.
  3. Age, nationality, and Society membership shall not be a consideration in making the award.
  4. The award is normally made every year on the basis of nominations submitted to the Award Selection Committee no later than November 1. It may be omitted at the discretion of the Award Selection Committee. Subject to restrictions imposed by Society policy, more than 1 award may be made in any given year.
  5. Nominees not selected in a given year will be held over through the next selection cycle. At the end of the second cycle, nominees not chosen will no longer be eligible for consideration. Nominators who wish for their candidate to be considered for another 2-cycle period must produce a new nomination package.
  6. The Award Selection Committee shall consist of the members of the von Karman Award Selection Committee of the Engineering Mechanics Institute whose duty shall be to recommend nominees for formal action by the ASCE Executive Committee.
  7. The award consists of a bronze medal.

Nominations

To nominate, submit the following via the nomination form:

  • A cover letter, signed by the nominator
  • The nominee's CV or biographical information
  • Two or three letters of recommendation (max)

For questions, or concerns regarding the nomination process, please reach out to Awards & Honors at [email protected].

Submit nomination