Ray William Clough, (July 23, 1920 – October 8, 2016), was Byron L. and Elvira E. Nishkian Professor of structural engineering in the department of civil engineering at the University of California, Berkeley and one of the founders of the finite element method (FEM). His article in 1956 was one of the first applications of this computational method. He coined the term “finite elements” in an article in 1960. He was born in Seattle. In the Fall, 2008 Clough was recognized as a “Legend of Earthquake Engineering” at the World Conference of

Earthquake Engineering Earthquake engineering is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering that designs and analyzes structures, such as buildings and bridges, with earthquakes in mind. Its overall goal is to make such structures more resistant to earthquakes. An earth ...

in China. Clough was known for his work in the field of earthquake engineering, and credited with the development and application of a mathematical method,

finite element analysis The finite element method (FEM) is a popular method for numerically solving differential equations arising in engineering and mathematical modeling. Typical problem areas of interest include the traditional fields of structural analysis, heat ...

, that has revolutionized numerical modeling of the physical world. Dr. Clough extended the method to enable

dynamic analysis Dynamic scoring is a forecasting technique for government revenues, expenditures, and budget deficits that incorporates predictions about the behavior of people and organizations based on changes in fiscal policy, usually tax rates. Dynamic scoring ...

of complex structures and co-authored the definitive text on structural dynamics. Three decades later, this text is still in wide use. He also transformed the field through the development of fundamental theories, computational techniques, and experimental methods. During his almost 40 years at Berkeley he taught, advised, and mentored numerous students. Clough was professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He is credited with developing the Earthquake Engineering Research Center at Berkeley, a hub for analytical engineering research, information resources, and public service programs. Dr. Clough's many honors include the Prince Philip Medal from the Royal Academy of Engineering in London. He was a member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

, the National Academy of Engineering, the Royal Norwegian Scientists Society, and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He was awarded

A. Cemal Eringen Ahmet Cemal Eringen (February 15, 1921 – December 7, 2009) was a Turkish engineering scientist. He was a professor at Princeton University and the founder of the Society of Engineering Science.

Medal in 1992. In 1994, President Clinton presented Clough with a National Medal of Science and in 2006 he received the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Civil Engineering from The Franklin Institute. He died on October 8, 2016, aged 96.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clough, Ray W. 1920 births 2016 deaths American structural engineers National Medal of Science laureates Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Foreign members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering University of California, Berkeley alumni