The 2015 Buchanan lecturer is Dr. William F. Marcuson III, director emeritus, from the Geotechnical Laboratory of the U.S. Army Engineers Research and Development Center for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Marcuson’s lecture will be “Katrina in Your Rearview Mirror.”
The Buchanan Lecture is held in honor of Dr. Spencer J. Buchanan’s life and legacy at Texas A&M University. Buchanan dedicated his life to the service and education of others. He was a founder of the Bryan Boy’s Club, a Texas A&M Distinguished Professor and a world leader in geotechnical engineering. Every year the Buchanan Lecture is held in his honor, aiming to educate and motivate present-day geotechnical engineers. The lecture is organized by Dr. Jean-Louis Briaud, distinguished professor and holder of the Spencer J. Buchanan Chair in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University. This year the lecture is sponsored by Fugro Consultants, Inc.
Also on the agenda will be Dr. Carlos Santamarina of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology giving his 2014 Terzaghi Lecture, “Energy Geotechnology: Enabling New Insights into Soil Behavior.” The Terzaghi Lecture was established by the Geo-Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1960. This lectureship is an annual award coupled with a lecture that addresses modern research in the field of geotechnical engineering. Lecturers are recognized for their outstanding and sustainable contributions to geotechnical engineering that can be utilized in the United States.
The lectures will take place in the Brazos Amphitheater at the College Station Hilton starting at 2 p.m. on Nov. 20.
At 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 19, Marcuson will be speaking to Dwight Look College of Engineering students on the topic of “Leadership and the Traits of Successful Engineers.” This event will be held in the Richardson Petroleum Engineering Building, room 106. All engineering students are encouraged to attend.