Civil Engineering Professor Kent Harries Named ASCE Fellow

PITTSBURGH (Oct. 18, 2019) — Kent Harries, PhD, FASCE, FACI, P.Eng., associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering, was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) this month. The Fellow status, FASCE, signifies members of the organization who have made celebrated contributions to the field and developed creative solutions that have enhanced lives. Fellows make up just three percent of ASCE’s members.

The election recognizes Harries’ work on international standards-writing committees and on the use of nonconventional materials, like carbon and glass fiber-reinforced polymers, for structural repair, the structural application of full-culm bamboo, and his design-oriented teaching that teaches students to use both conventional and nonconventional materials.

Harries’ research interests also include the seismic design and retrofit of building structures, the design and behavior of high-rise structures, applications of full-scale structural testing and the history and philosophy of science and technology. He received his bachelor’s, master’s and PhD in civil engineering – structures from McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

Harries currently serves as a vice-president of IIFC, Senior Editor of Journal of Construction and Building Materials, chair of ACI Committee 440F (Repair of Concrete with FRP) and on numerous other U.S. and international codes and standards development committees including ASCE FCAPS. Harries is presently leading the effort to revise ISO 22156 Bamboo Structural Design. A Fellow of both ACI and IIFC, Harries is a professional engineer in Ontario, Canada, and was Leverhulme Visiting Professor at the University of Bath (UK) in 2018.