James 'Jim' O. Malley, S.E., senior principal of Degenkolb Engineers in San Francisco, is the 2010 recipient of the prestigious AISC T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award. Malley is being honored for his paper on "The 2005 AISC Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings," published in the First Quarter 2007 AISC Engineering Journal.
The AISC T.R. Higgins Award is presented annually by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and recognizes an outstanding lecturer and author whose technical paper(s) are considered an outstanding contribution to the engineering literature on fabricated structural steel. The award, which includes a $10,000 prize, will be presented at the 2010 NASCC: The Steel Conference, in Orlando, Fla., May 12-15.
Recent recipients include: Donald W. White (2009) for his papers on stability analysis and design and the flexural provisions of the 2005 AISC Specification for Steel Buildings; Walterio Lopez and Rafael Sabelli (2008) for their paper on the seismic design of buckling-restrained braced frames; and R. Shankar Nair (2007) for his paper on the stability and analysis provisions of the 2005 AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings.
"What a great addition Jim is to the list of distinguished engineers who have been honored with the Higgins Award," said Charles J. Carter, S.E., P.E., Ph.D., AISC vice president and chief structural engineer. "Jim is a great friend and contributor to AISC, and this award is deserved recognition of his years of contribution and leadership in the development of seismic design philosophy and the AISC Seismic Provisions."
The 2010 AISC T.R. Higgins Award jury consisted of:
William D. Bast, P.E., S.E., Principal, Thornton-Tomasetti, Chicago
C. Dale Buckner, Ph.D., P.E., S.E.C.B., Professor Emeritus, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Va.
Judy Liu, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.
Larry S. Muir, P.E, Consultant, Atlanta, Ga.
Chia-Ming Uang, Ph.D., Professor, The University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, Calif.
T.J. Reeves, CEO, Alpha Industries, McKinney, Texas
Malley has more than 26 years of experience in structural design, seismic evaluation, and seismic strengthening of existing buildings. His projects include a variety of healthcare facilities and several research efforts funded by institutions like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
In addition to his role at Degenkolb Engineers, Malley also served as the Project Director for Topical Investigations of the SAC Joint Venture. In that position, he was responsible for directing studies of the steel frame buildings damaged by the Northridge Earthquake and all of the analytical and testing investigations performed as part of the SAC Steel Project. SAC has published guides on how to design, inspect, evaluate, and repair steel moment frame connections, reflecting Malley's nationally recognized expertise in the seismic design of steel structures. Much of this work formed the basis for the development of the AISC Seismic Provisions and related standards and publications.
Malley is a member of the AISC Committee on Specifications and Chair of its subcommittee that is responsible for developing the AISC Seismic Provisions. He has served as a member of the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California (SEAONC) Board of Directors, including a term as President from 2000-2001. He has also served as a member of the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC) Board of Directors, including a term as President from 2003-2004. He was named a SEAOC Fellow in 2007. Currently, he is a member of the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) Board of Directors, and will become President of NCSEA in 2010.
Malley has made numerous presentations on earthquake effects, seismic design of steel structures and the AISC Seismic Provisions. The author of more than 50 technical papers, Malley was co-recipient with the late Egor Popov of the 1986 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Raymond C. Reese Research Prize for their paper on "Shear Links in Eccentrically Braced Frames."
The AISC T.R. Higgins Award is named for Theodore R. Higgins, Ph.D., former AISC director of engineering and research, who was widely acclaimed for his many contributions to the advancement of engineering technology related to fabricated structural steel. The award honors Higgins for his innovative engineering, timely technical papers and distinguished lectures. More information on the award is found here.
