Norbert R. Morgenstern Open Lecture: From Certainty to Uncertainty in 64 Years

The UAlberta Geotechnical Centre, University of Alberta Canadian Geotechnical Society Student Chapter (UACGS) and Geotechnical Society of Edmonton were pleased to host Dr. Norbert R. Morgenstern to speak on "From Certainty to Uncertainty in 64 Years."

Speaker Bio: Dr. Norbert R. Morgenstern is a celebrated engineer who has received over 55 competitive national and international awards, medals, lectureships and prizes for distinguished teaching and research. By the age of 40, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Academy of Science, for his leadership in establishing the University of Alberta Geotechnical Centre and for his innovative research programs in dam design and slope stability, including the development of the Morgenstern-Price method for stability analysis, and in the rapidly developing field of risk analysis applied to engineering works.

In 1968, he became a Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Alberta, where he led and laid the framework for modern permafrost and cold regions engineering, which has influenced all aspects of geotechnical design in the Arctic. He pioneered and expanded research and development into the geotechnical aspects of mining and processing oil sands, significantly contributing to the enhanced safety, environmental integrity and economy of developing the resource in Canada. He was appointed as a University Professor of Civil Engineering from 1983 to 1999 and served as Chairman of the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering from 1994 to 1997. In 1999, he was bestowed the title of Distinguished University Professor Emeritus. He has served as the principal consultant to numerous federal governments, national and international research councils and special organizations as well as large multinational companies. In particular, he sits on the scientific advisory boards of every major oil sands development company and is an influential consultant to several natural resource operations worldwide.

His noteworthy service and research in geotechnical engineering has been recognized by several professional organizations: he has also been elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Engineering Institute of Canada, Canadian Society for Civil Engineering and American Society of Civil Engineers. Other significant honours include being named a Foreign Associate of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, a Foreign Member of the Royal Academy of Engineering (United Kingdom) and a Foreign Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering of India. Both honours are bestowed to select individuals for a lifetime's worth of extraordinary engineering accomplishments. Furthermore, he has been inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence and the Order of Canada—the highest honours available to Canadians—for his outstanding achievements in and life-long contributions to geotechnical engineering.

As an educator, researcher and practitioner, Dr. Morgenstern has bolstered Canada's reputation as an international leader in the fields of applied earth science research and geotechnical engineering.