The beginning of the Terzaghi Lecture
In the late 1950s, the predecessor of the Geo-Institute -- ASCE's Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division -- and the friends and admirers of Dr. Karl Terzaghi established the Karl Terzaghi Lecture. The Lecture was instituted by the ASCE Board of Direction in 1960 and, in 1963, the first Lecture was delivered by a student of Terzaghi's: Ralph B. Peck, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE.
In 2023, the Geo-Institute will mark the 60th anniversary of the first Terzaghi Lecture.
About the Lecturers
The Terzaghi Lecture is sponsored by the Geo-Institute. The Lecturer is chosen by the G-I Board of Governors on the basis of the candidate's continuing contributions to the technical and/or professional stature of geotechnical engineering as reflected in publications, professional standing and, particularly, on the ability to communicate verbally with both technical specialists and the civil engineering profession as a whole.
Nominate a candidate
Nominations are due by June 1 for the next year's Lectureship.
About the Lectures
Some of the Lectures are available in the ASCE Library, including a special collection compiled in 2016.
A selection of recent Lectures are available on the G-I YouTube channel
The Lecturers
1963: Ralph B. Peck, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE
1964: Arthur Casagrande, Ph.D., Hon.M.ASCE
1966: Lauritis Bjerrum, Ph.D.
1967: H. Bolton Seed, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE
1968: Philip C. Rutledge, D.Sc., NAE, F.ASCE
1969: Stanley D. Wilson, NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1970: T. William Lambe, Ph.D., P.E., NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1971: John Lowe, III, P.E., NAE, F.ASCE
1972: Bramlette Mcclelland, NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1974: F.E. Richart, Jr., PhD., P.E., NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1975: G. G. Meyerhof, Ph.D., F.ASCE
1976: Lymon C. Reese, Ph.D., P.E., NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1977: Robert F. Legget, Ph.D., P.E., NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1978: Nathan M. Newmark, Ph.D., NAE, Hon.M.ASCE
1979: George F. Sowers, Ph.D., NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1980: G. A. Leonards, Ph.D., P.E., NAE, F.ASCE,
1981: Robert V. Whitman, Sc.D., P.E., NAE, F.ASCE
1982: J. Barry Cooke, Sc.D., NAE
1983: Ronald F. Scott, Ph.D., P.E., NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1984: James K. Mitchell, Sc.D, P.E., D.GE(Ret.), NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1985: Jorg O. Osterberg, Ph.D., NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1986: Charles C. Ladd, Sc.D, P.E., D.GE, NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1987: Leonardo E. Zeevaert Wiechers, Ph.D., P.E., NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1988: Elio D'Appolonia, Ph.D., P.E., NAE, Hon.M.ASCE
1989: John H. Schmertmann, Ph.D., P.E., NAE, F.ASCE
1990: James P. Gould, D.Sc., P.E., NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1991: James M. Duncan, Ph.D., P.E., NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1992: Norbert R. Morgenstern, Ph.D., P.E., NAE, F.ASCE
1993: John A. Focht, Jr., P.E., Hon.D.GE, NAE, F.ASCE
1994: G. Wayne Clough, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.D.GE, NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1995: Roy E. Olson, Ph.D., P.E., NAE, F.ASCE
1996: Robert M. Koerner, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE(Ret.), NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1997: Richard D. Woods, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE(Ret.), NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
1998: Michael W. O'Neill, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE
1999: William F. Marcuson, III, Ph.D., P.E., NAE, D.GE, Pres.07.ASCE
2000: Evert Hoek, Ph.D., D.Sc, NAE
2001: Suzanne Lacasse, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, NAE, F.ASCE
2002: Victor Milligan, P.E., F.ASCE
2003: John T. Christian, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
2004: Harry Poulos, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE
2005: Delwyn G. Fredlund, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE
2006: Raymond J. Krizek, Ph.D., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE
2007: George G. Goble, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE
2008: Jean-Pierre Giroud, Ph.D., M.ASCE
2009: Clyde N. Baker, Jr., P.E., Hon.M.ASCE
2010: Robert D. Holtz, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE
2011: Kenneth H. Stokoe, II, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE
2012: David E. Daniel, Ph.D., P.E., NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
2013: Alfred J. Hendron, Jr., Ph.D., NAE, M.ASCE
2014: J. Carlos Santamarina, Ph.D., Ing., A.M.ASCE
2015: Donald A. Bruce, Ph.D., D.GE, M.ASCE
2016: Thomas D. O'Rourke, Ph.D., Hon.D.GE, NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
2017: R. Kerry Rowe, Ph.D., P.Eng., NAE, F.ASCE
2018: Rudolph Bonaparte, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, NAE, F.ASCE
2019: Izzat M Idriss Ph.D., P.E., NAE, Dist.M.ASCE
2020: Edward J. Cording, Ph.D., NAE, M.ASCE
2021: Gregory B. Baecher, Ph.D., P.E., NAE, M.ASCE
2022: Edward Kavazanjian, Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, NAE, Dist.M.ASCE