ASCE has honored Jason T. DeJong, Ph.D., F.ASCE, with the 2023 Shamsher Prakash Award and Lecture for pioneering contributions to the science, application, and development of the biogeotechnics field and the development of innovative equipment and procedures for site characterization.
DeJong has had an integral role in the growing and maturing field of biogeotechnics, including his seminal contributions to the development of microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) and its use for liquefaction remediation as well as his role as a co-PI for the NSF Engineering Research Center for Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics. He has developed innovative equipment and procedures that have advanced in situ and laboratory methods for geotechnical site characterization, including advances related to characterizing intermediate soils, evaluating sample disturbance effects, advancing cone penetration testing (e.g., variable penetration rate effects; thin layer and interface corrections), and developing the instrumented Becker Penetration Test (iBPT) system for characterizing gravelly soils. His contributions to site characterization have had immediate impacts on engineering practice, and his contributions to biogeotechnics have helped shape an emerging field. His prior honors and awards include receiving the Casagrande Award (2007) and Huber Prize (2013) from ASCE.
The Shamsher Prakash Award and Lecture was instituted by the Board of Direction in 2021 to recognize outstanding research or professional practice contributions in the area of geotechnical engineering or soil dynamics.
