Richards L. Handy is a Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Iowa State University. He is the founder of Handy Geotechnical Instruments, a company that manufactures innovative soil testing devices, the author of “The Day the House Fell,” and co-author, with M.G. Spangler, of the third and fifth editions of “Soil Engineering.” Recognized as a scientist, as well as an engineer, Handy is a Fellow in both the Geological Society of America and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.