S&T professor wins Civil Engineering History and Heritage Award

Dr. J. David Rogers has been a Missouri S&T faculty member since 2001. Photo by Sam O’Keefe/Missouri S&T

ROLLA, Mo. – Dr. J. David Rogers, a longtime geological engineering professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology, was recently awarded the Civil Engineering History and Heritage Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

“I have been fortunate throughout my career to be able to study issues that I am passionate about and pass on that knowledge on in a variety of ways to my students, colleagues, and the public,” says Rogers, the Karl F. Hasselmann Missouri Chair in Geological Engineering at S&T. “To receive this award is a true honor.”

ASCE executive director Thomas Smith wrote in a congratulatory letter that Rogers was selected for the award in recognition of his 30 years as a recognized expert on the history of dam failures, his significant publications on civil engineering history topics, and his many ASCE conference presentations.

The ASCE award was developed in 1966 to honor individuals for their contributions to a better knowledge and appreciation of the history and heritage of civil engineering.

In addition to a plaque, Rogers will also receive a $2,500 cash prize at a future ASCE event.

For decades, Rogers has been a go-to source for media inquiries and documentary films focused on geohazards, such as landslides, floods and earthquakes. In 2006, he received a presidential citation from the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists (AEG) for his work investigating the levee failures that occurred during Hurricane Katrina.

Rogers earned a Ph.D. in geological engineering and a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He also holds bachelor’s degree in geology from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona.

He is a fellow of the Geological Society of America and the ASCE and is a life member of the U.S. Society on Dams.

Rogers joined the Missouri S&T faculty in 2001. Before that, he had consulting firms with offices in California and Hawaii and served as a lecturer in engineering geology and environmental geology for planners for the University of California, Berkeley.

Last year, he was awarded the Schuster Medal from the Canadian Geotechnical Society and the AEG.

About Missouri University of Science and Technology
Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System and located in Rolla, Missouri, Missouri S&T offers 101 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top 10 universities for return on investment, according to Business Insider. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.