Introduction to 2008 Peck Lecture

Thank you, Dr. Wu, for accepting our invitation to present the Peck lecture this evening. We recognize the effort invested in preparing such a lecture and attending this conference. We are all glad to be here for the lecture, and we are thankful that you are here with us.

The Ralph B. Peck Award is presented for “outstanding contributions to the profession through the analysis and publication of case histories or the publication of recommended practices or design methodologies based on the evaluation of case histories.” Professor Wu has made outstanding contributions in all of these areas over his five-decade career. He received his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from St. John’s University in Shanghai, China, in 1947. He received both his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Illinois. Appropriately and interestingly, he was one of Dr. Peck’s first Ph.D. students.

Dr. Wu has devoted the past 55 years to imparting his experience, knowledge, and wisdom to generations of students using case histories to guide and teach. He spent 12 years as a professor of civil engineering at Michigan State University. In 1965, he left Michigan State for Ohio State University, where he currently holds the title of Professor Emeritus and continues to teach classes. In addition to this exceptional teaching career, he has held positions as a visiting professor at institutions worldwide, including the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, the National University of Mexico, Tongji University in China, and the Forest Research Institute in New Zealand. He has served as a United Nations consultant to the Punjab Agricultural University in India and Southwest Jiaotong University in China.

Professor Wu has been recognized and honored by his peers and colleagues for his many contributions to the profession. He was awarded the ASCE State-of-the-Art Award for his paper titled “Reliability of Offshore Foundations.” This paper is an example of Dr. Wu’s groundbreaking work. In 2003, T. H. Wu was elected as an honorary member of ASCE. Honorary membership is reserved for only those who have achieved acknowledged eminence in their field. Most interestingly, Professor Wu has been awarded the United States Antarctica Service Medal; I wonder if anyone else in this room can claim that honor.

Professor Wu has worked in many areas over his long and fruitful career. Some of the areas in which he has performed research include strength properties of soil and rock, stability of embankments and natural slopes, groundwater and seepage, soil reinforcement, and, perhaps most notably, risk and reliability assessments for foundations and slopes. Dr. Wu is a pioneer in probabilistic methods in geotechnical engineering. During his career, spanning over 50 years, he has guided the study of geotechnical reliability, providing leadership and insight into probability of foundation safety, safety and hazard analysis of slopes, and uncertainty and decision making in geotechnical engineering.

Being a student of Dr. Peck, it is no surprise that Dr. Wu recognized the significance and value of the use of case histories in learning and teaching. His most recently published case history, “Embankment on Sludge: Predicted and Observed Performances,” was published by the Canadian Geotechnical Journal just last year.

Dr. John Christian, a past Terzaghi lecturer himself, in his letter of recommendation and endorsement of Dr. Wu’s nomination for the Peck Award, wrote: “Those of us who have applied probabilistic methods to geotechnical engineering problems have frequently had the experience of struggling with a problem and then finding out that T. H. had been there before us.” Dr. Wu’s body of work has led and continues to lead the profession to improved application of probabilistic methods in geotechnical engineering. He is recognized by his peers, colleagues, and students as a tremendous teacher and mentor. Dr. Wu has had a distinguished career and has made great contributions to geotechnical engineering. He has pioneered many innovative solutions to geotechnical problems and documented his work in many outstanding case history papers. He has carried on the spirit and teachings of Dr. Ralph Peck through the teaching and publication of these case histories.

Dr. Wu’s accomplishments and contributions to our profession make him exceptionally well qualified to present his lecture titled “Case History of an Embankment on Soft Ground.” Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the 2008 Ralph B. Peck Lecturer, Dr. Tien H. Wu.