Feb. 8, 2017
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) announced today that Sergio Manuel Alcocer, Deb A. Niemeier and Randall W. Poston, alumni of the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, have been elected to the prestigious academy.
Election to the academy is among the highest professional distinctions bestowed upon an engineer. Membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering research and practice, including pioneering new and developing fields of technology and making major advancements in the engineering field and profession. In all, 84 new members and 22 foreign members joined the NAE in 2017.
“Election to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering is the highest honor that can be achieved by an engineer,” said Department Chair Richard Corsi. “We are all so very proud of Sergio, Deb and Randall for receiving this great honor. Each is an exceptional engineer and person, and while we honor their successes I also want to thank them for shining a bright light on our CAEE community.”
About the three new members representing the department:
Sergio Manuel Alcocer (Ph.D. CE 1991) - For improvements to the seismic safety of buildings in developing countries through improved design standards and government policies.
Alcocer is a research professor in the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the former undersecretary for North America in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico. He was recognized for improvements to the seismic safety of buildings in developing countries through improved design standards and government policies. In 2001, Alcocer received the National University Distinction for Young Academics in the area of Technological Innovation and Industrial Design. In 2014, he received the Award of Distinction by The Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration, and in 2015, he was named a Distinguished Engineering Graduate of the Cockrell School of Engineering. He received a B.S. in civil engineering from UNAM and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the Cockrell School.
Deb A. Niemeier (B.S. CE 1982) - For developing groundbreaking tools to characterize the impact of transportation emissions on air quality and environmental justice.
Niemeier is a professor at the University of California, Davis. She was recognized for developing groundbreaking tools to characterize the impact of transportation emissions on air quality and environmental justice. In 2015, she became the first-ever civil engineer to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship and in 2014, she was elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She received the Aldo Leopold Leadership Award in 2006 and the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 1997. Niemeier received a B.S. in civil engineering from the Cockrell School, an M.S. in civil engineering from the University of Maine and a Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Washington.
Randall W. Poston (B.S. CE 1978; MSE CE 1980; Ph.D. CE 1984) - For development of diagnostic and repair technologies for concrete structures and leadership in concrete building code development.
Poston is senior principal at Pivot Engineers. He was recognized for the development of diagnostic and repair technologies for concrete structures and leadership in concrete building code development. He received the American Concrete Institute’s (ACI) Henry C. Turner Medal in 2006, the ACI Henry L. Kennedy Award in 2014 and the ACI Delmar L. Bloem Distinguished Service Award in 2015, and in 2014, he was named a Distinguished Engineering Graduate of the Cockrell School. In 2002, Poston’s Marina del Rey Seawall Rehabilitation Project was named the International Concrete Repair Institute’s Project of the Year. He received a B.S. in civil engineering and an MSE and Ph.D. in structural engineering, all from the Cockrell School.
