headshot of Mark Waggoner

Mark Waggoner

During the 2012 Alumni Banquet and Academy of Distinguished Alumni Induction Ceremony in October, the department recognized an outstanding young graduate who has become an influential leader in the engineering community. Mark Waggoner (MSCE 1999) is the 2012 award recipient.

This annual award is given to a graduate of the CAEE Department under the age of 40 who has distinguished himself or herself with outstanding service and contributions to the engineering profession and community.

Mark Waggoner, P.E., S.E., P. Eng. is a Principal in the Research and Development Group at the Austin office of Walter P Moore. Following completion of his master’s degree at UT Austin, he was awarded a SOM Structural Engineering Traveling Fellowship to study aesthetically important structures in Europe. At Walter P Moore, he has focused on the design of long-span roof structures for stadiums and arenas, contributing to the design of ten major professional sports venues in the U.S. and internationally. He specializes in the design of kinetic structures and lightweight structural systems. Waggoner has served as President of the Austin Chapter of the Structural Engineers Association of Texas and as a director on the State Board. He is active in several committees of the Structural Engineering Institute of ASCE and served as co-chair for the 2009 Structures Congress in Austin. He is also actively engaged in research to develop new design techniques to mitigate disproportionate collapse. Throughout his career, he has maintained close ties with the department. He frequently works with structural engineering graduate students and is a regular contributor to experimental and analytical studies at Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory. He also served on the department’s External Advisory Committee.

To read about past recipients, please visit our  Outstanding Young Alumni page.

Please download a nomination form if you would like to nominate a deserving colleague for the 2013 award. The deadline for nominations is March 15, 2013 and next year's honoree will be announced in June 2013.

For more information, please contact Alumni Coordinator Laura Klopfenstein at (512) 471-1279 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.