Maria Garlock, Ph.D., P.E., F.SEI, F.ASCE, a professor at Princeton University in the department of civil & environmental Engineering, the co-director of the Architecture and Engineering Program, and interim director of the Council on Science and Technology, has been named a fellow by the ASCE Board of Direction.
Garlock has been actively involved in ASCE’s Structural Engineering Institute for about 20 years in many capacities: as an associate editor and guest co-editor for the Journal of Structural Engineering, member of various technical committees, chair of the Fire Protection Technical Committee, chair of the Special Design Issues Technical Activities Committee, Technical Activities Division Executive Committee, member of the Committee on Reform of Structural Engineering Education, and currently on the Board of Governors. During her period as chair of the Fire Protection Committee, she worked with the committee developing the Appendix to ASCE-7 on “Performance-Based Design Procedures for Fire Effects on Structures.”
She is also a professional engineer, having earned her license while working for Leslie E. Robertson Associates of New York City as a structural engineer. She had the opportunity to participate in the design of many interesting buildings including several skyscrapers, and is the recipient of awards such as Princeton University’s President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching, and AISC’s T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award.
Her research aims to bridge the gap between academia and practice, both as related to advancing the knowledge in structural engineering and as related to the education of future engineers. She takes creative and innovative approaches to find structural solutions, in particular for extreme loading scenarios such as earthquakes, fires, and storm surges. She studies such loading scenarios both as isolated and as combined multihazard events.
In addition to multihazard-resistant structural design, Garlock studies the best examples of structural designs of the present and past, which encompass the ideals of efficiency, economy, and elegance. She has co-authored a book on the subject (Felix Candela: Engineer, Builder, Structural Artist), written several book chapters, and co-curated several exhibitions with scale models and instructional displays that teach about exemplary structural engineering designs. She has developed two online courses (MOOCs) on the theme of The Art of Structural Engineering, where combined these courses have reached over 80,000 people in over 200 countries.
Garlock received her Bachelor of Science degree from Lehigh University, a Master of Science degree from Cornell University, and her doctorate from Lehigh University.
