ARTHUR CASAGRANDE WAS AN AMERICAN

CIVIL ENGINEER BORN IN AUSTRIA-HUNGARY

WHO MADE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO
THE FIELDS OF ENGINEERING GEOLOGY AND
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING DURING ITS
INFANCY. RENOWNED FOR HIS INGENIOUS
DESIGNS OF SOIL TESTING APPARATUS AND
FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH ON SEEPAGE AND
SOIL LIQUEFACTION, HE IS ALSO CREDITED FOR
DEVELOPING THE SOIL MECHANICS TEACHING
PROGRAMME AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY
DURING THE EARLY 1930S THAT HAS SINCE
BEEN MODELLED IN MANY UNIVERSITIES
AROUND THE WORLD.
KARL VON TERZAGHU WAS AN AUSTRIAN
MECHANICAL ENGINEER, GEOTECHNICAL
ENGINEER, AND GEOLOGIST KNOWN AS THE
"FATHER OF SOIL MECHANICS AND
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING". HIS FIRST JOB
WAS AS A JUNIOR DESIGN ENGINEER FOR THE
FIRM ADOLPH VON PITTEL, VIENNA. THE FIRM
WAS BECOMING MORE INVOLVED IN THE
RELATIVELY NEW FIELD OF HYDROELECTRIC
POWER GENERATION, AND KARL BECAME
INVOLVED IN THE GEOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
THE FIRM FACED. HIS RESPONSIBILITIES
QUICKLY INCREASED, AND BY 1908, HE WAS
MANAGING A CONSTRUCTION SITE, WORKERS,
AND THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF
STEEL-REINFORCED STRUCTURES.
ALBERT ATTERBERG WAS A SWEDISH
CHEMIST AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENTIST WHO
CREATED THE ATTERBERG LIMITS, WHICH ARE
COMMONLY REFERRED TO BY GEOTECHNICAL
ENGINEERS AND ENGINEERING GEOLOGISTS
TODAY. IN SWEDEN HE IS EQUALLY KNOWN
FOR CREATING THE ATTERBERG GRAINSIZE
SCALE, WHICH REMAINS THE ONE IN USE. IT
WAS TOWARDS THE AGE OF FIFTY-FOUR THAT
ATTERBERG, WHILE CONTINUING HIS WORK ON
CHEMISTRY, BEGAN TO FOCUS HIS EFFORTS ON
THE CLASSIFICATION AND PLASTICITY OF
SOILS, FOR WHICH HE IS MOST REMEMBERED.
CHARLES-AUGUSTIN DE COULOMB WAS A
FRENCH OFFICER, ENGINEER, AND PHYSICIST. HE IS
BEST KNOWN AS THE EPONYMOUS DISCOVERER OF
WHAT IS NOW CALLED COULOMB'S LAW, THE
DESCRIPTION OF THE ELECTROSTATIC FORCE OF
ATTRACTION AND REPULSION.
HE ALSO DID IMPORTANT WORK ON FRICTION. HE
WAS RECALLED TO PARIS FOR A TIME IN ORDER TO
TAKE PART IN THE NEW DETERMINATION OF
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES, WHICH HAD BEEN
DECREED BY THE REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT.
HE BECAME ONE OF THE FIRST MEMBERS OF THE
FRENCH NATIONAL INSTITUTE AND WAS
APPOINTED INSPECTOR OF
PUBLIC INSTRUCTION IN
1802. HIS HEALTH WAS
ALREADY VERY FEEBLE AND
FOUR YEARS LATER HE DIED IN
PARIS.

HARRY BOLTON SEED WAS A RENOWNED

ENGINEER AND ACADEMIC RECOGNIZED
INTERNATIONALLY FOR HIS EXPERTISE IN SOIL
BEHAVIOR DURING EARTHQUAKES. BORN IN
ENGLAND IN 1922, HE PURSUED HIGHER
EDUCATION AT LONDON UNIVERSITY AND
HARVARD, WHERE HE STUDIED SOIL MECHANICS.

HE JOINED THE FACULTY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF

CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, WHERE HE PLAYED A
CRUCIAL ROLE IN ESTABLISHING THE UNIVERSITY'S
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT. SEED'S
PIONEERING WORK
INCLUDED

CONTRIBUTIONS TO PILE-SOIL INTERACTION AND,

NOTABLY, THE CREATION OF GEOTECHNICAL
EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING IN 1960. HE
CONSULTED ON EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT
STRUCTURES, INVESTIGATED MAJOR DISASTERS,
AND DEVELOPED DESIGN PROCEDURES TO
ENHANCE SAFETY. HIS ACHIEVEMENTS EARNED
HIM THE NATIONAL MEDAL OF SCIENCE IN 1987
AND LEFT A PROFOUND IMPACT ON EARTHQUAKE
ENGINEERING AND GEOTECHNICAL SCIENCE.
ALBERT CAQUOT WAS A DISTINGUISHED FRENCH
ENGINEER KNOWN FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO
AERONAUTICS, CIVIL ENGINEERING, AND MILITARY
ENGINEERING. HE DESIGNED STABLE MILITARY
BALLOONS, CRUCIAL FOR RECONNAISSANCE IN
WORLD WAR I, AND ADVANCED CONCRETE
CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES FOR BRIDGES.
CAQUOT'S EXPERTISE IN MILITARY ENGINEERING
WAS VALUABLE DURING BOTH WORLD WARS,
CONTRIBUTING TO FORTIFIED STRUCTURES. HE
HELD A PROFESSORSHIP AT ÉCOLE
POLYTECHNIQUE, RECEIVED NUMEROUS HONORS,
AND REMAINS HIGHLY REGARDED IN ENGINEERING
AND AVIATION FOR HIS ENDURING INNOVATIONS
IN THESE FIELDS.