Bernard Amadei (born July 23, 1954) is a professor of

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...

at the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado syst ...

, founding president of

Engineers Without Borders (USA) The term Engineers Without Borders (EWB; french: Ingénieurs sans frontières, ISF) is used by a number of non-governmental organizations in various countries to describe their activity based on engineering and oriented to international development ...

, co-founder of the Engineers Without Borders-International Network, and founding director of the Mortenson Center in Engineering for Developing Communities. He is also a recipient of multiple awards and distinctions (see below) and holds seven honorary doctoral degrees. In 2009, he was recognized with an Award of Excellence from

Engineering News-Record ''Engineering News-Record'' (widely known as ''ENR'') is an American weekly magazine that provides news, analysis, data and opinion for the construction industry worldwide. It is widely regarded as one of the construction industry's most authori ...

. In 2012, Dr. Amadei was appointed as a Science Envoy to Pakistan and Nepal by the U.S. Department of State.

Education

Amadei is a native of Roubaix, France, born on July 23, 1954. Amadei earned a Diploma of Engineer (Dipl. Eng.) in 1977 in the area of Applied Geology from the School of Applied Geology and Mining Engineering (Ecole Supérieure de Géologie Appliquée et de Prospection Minière) in Nancy, France (currently known as the

École nationale supérieure de géologie The École Nationale Supérieure de Géologie (English: National Superior School of Geology), or ENSG, or Nancy School of Geology, is a public French Grande école, located in Nancy, Eastern France, part of the University of Lorraine. History T ...

or ENSG). Following a year of service in the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

(August 1977 to August 1978), he began graduate studies abroad. He earned a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

in 1979 and was awarded a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

(PhD) in civil engineering in 1982 from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

for his thesis publication entitled "The Influence of Rock Anisotropy on Measurement of Stresses in Rock in situ." The Obama administration, following up the president's announcement of the program in Cairo, named Dr. Amadei one of three Scientific Envoys appointed by Secretary of State Clinton in November, 2012.Marlow, Jeffrey. (December 11, 2012
The Promise and Pitfalls of Science Diplomacy

Wired Magazine ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online magazine, online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquar ...

Establishment of Engineers Without Borders-USA

A firm belief in the

principle A principle is a proposition or value that is a guide for behavior or evaluation. In law, it is a Legal rule, rule that has to be or usually is to be followed. It can be desirably followed, or it can be an inevitable consequence of something, suc ...

that engineers must hold the public welfare paramount, or above any other responsibility, led Amadei to reconsider his involvement in a hydroelectric plant in Costa Rica in 2002. He thought that this project would displace too many local residents and violate this principle of "do no harm." This realization came along about two years after his first experience with a

humanitarian engineering Humanitarian engineering is the application of engineering for humanitarian aid purposes. As a meta-discipline of engineering, humanitarian engineering combines multiple engineering disciplines in order to address many of the world's crises and hum ...

project.
Second page
archived fro
the original
on April 22, 2009. In 2000, Amadei organized an effort resulting in the construction of a water pump for a village in Belize. He undertook the effort at the suggestion of an immigrant landscaper working at his residence. Amadei saw that the installation of a pump to supply drinking water to the village of San Pablo would have a social impact on this community. Young girls in the village were tasked with carrying water each day from the river to the village. This meant that they could not attend school. Using the engineering talent of himself and his students to bring clean drinking water to the village had a huge social benefit to the community. This comprehension of the larger meaning of engineering inspired Amadei to create a volunteer organization that could enable engineers to donate their services in this manner. From a small beginning with just a few students volunteering alongside him, the Engineers Without Borders-USA organization has grown to 15,900 members in 400 chapters.

Humanitarian aid Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and ...

has been provided in 48 countries, benefiting more than 600,000 people.

Awards and distinctions

* 1984 Rocha Medal from the

International Society for Rock Mechanics The International Society for Rock Mechanics - ISRM was founded in Salzburg in 1962 as a result of the enlargement of the "Salzburger Kreis". Its foundation is mainly owed to Prof. Leopold Müller who acted as President of the Society until Septem ...

- an award issued annually for an outstanding doctoral thesis in the field of rock mechanics. * 2007

Hoover Medal The Hoover Medal is an American engineering prize. It has been given since 1930 for "outstanding extra-career services by engineers to humanity". The prize is given jointly by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Institute of Min ...

. * The 13th Annual Heinz Award in the Environment, 2007 * 2008, Elected member of the National Academy of Engineering (United States) for "the creation of Engineers Without Borders, leadership in sustainable development education, and research on geomechanics." * 2009 Award of Excellence from

for founding Engineers Without Borders (USA). * 2009 Elected Distinguished Member of the

American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, * 2013 Elected member of the National Academy of Construction (United States) * 2011 Elected Senior Ashoka FellowAshoka
Bernard Amadei
2009. * 2015 Washington Award, The Western Society of Engineers * 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers, Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) (education) * 2016 C. H. Dunn Award of the Construction Industry Institute * 2016 Distinguished Professor, University of Colorado * Holds seven honorary doctoral degrees (UMass Lowell; Carroll College; Clarkson, Drexel, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Technion (Israel), SUNY-ESF)

List of works

* * * * * *

References

External links

Membership page
National Academy of Engineering.

"Engineering for Developing Communities" website.
Engineers Without Borders - USAEngineers Without Borders - InternationalMortenson Center in Global Engineering & Resilience
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amadei, Bernard 1954 births Living people University of Colorado Boulder faculty UC Berkeley College of Engineering alumni University of Toronto alumni Geotechnical engineers Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering People from Roubaix 20th-century French engineers 21st-century American engineers Ashoka Fellows