ASCE has honored Hongwei Fang, Ph.D., A.M.ASCE, with the 2023 Hans Albert Einstein Award for outstanding experimental and numerical contributions to the role of turbulence on sediment dynamics and his leadership role in the development of echo-fluvial dynamics.
Fang laid the foundation of biofilm-coated sediment dynamics by establishing mathematical and numerical models for sediment threshold, erosion, and deposition of biofilm-coated sediments. He discovered the molecular fluid mechanics by clarifying the relationship between microscopic structures of water clusters and macroscopic fluid properties, such as mass density and viscosity. In the context of the practical applications of his research outcomes, he has made valuable contributions to the major projects in China, which includes maintenance of the volume of the Three Gorges reservoir, and feasibility demonstration and construction of nuclear power plants.
In education and practice, Fang’s outstanding books, titled Mechanics of Bio-Sediment Transport, Mathematical Modeling for Sediment Transport and The Surface Character and Simulation for Pollutant Sediment, have quickly become key sources for researchers and teachers, and handbooks for the practitioners. The uniqueness of these books is that they include most of the important former and latest developments of sediment dynamics, presenting them in a lucid way that popularizes the subject of sediment transport with students, teachers, researchers, and practitioners.
In journal editorial services, Fang’s commendable standing in sediment dynamics research is evidenced from the fact that he is the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Sediment Research and an associate editor of ASCE’s Journal of Hydraulic Engineering.
The Hans Albert Einstein Award is given to a member who has made a significant contribution to the engineering profession in the area of erosion control, sedimentation, and/or waterway development either in teaching, research, planning, design, or management.