ASCE has honored Donald H. Shields, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, with the 2025 Can-Am Civil Engineering Amity Award for an outstanding academic and research career dedicated to geotechnical and cold regions engineering, focused on bridge pile foundations and slope stability using pressuremeter and cone penetration testing to predict creep displacement in ice and ice rich materials.
Shields has impressive experience in geotechnical and cold regions engineering, with more than 43 years of professional engineering practice in both the United States and Canada. He graduated as a civil engineer from the University of Saskatchewan in 1955. During his university summers, he worked for the Canadian National Railways as a surveyor. After graduating, he won an Athlone Fellowship that allowed him to study in England, where he obtained a Diploma of Imperial College (DIC) in Soil Mechanics.
Upon his return to Canada, Shields alternated his career between consulting (both in BC and Ontario) and academia (universities of Ottawa and Manitoba), with a period at Manchester University to complete a Ph.D. In 1980, he became head of civil engineering at the University of Manitoba and then dean of engineering. He is now retired and resides in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. In his career, Shields has had broad exposure to many geotechnical and cold regions engineering projects. His consulting work was focused on bridge foundations and slope stability using pressuremeter and cone penetrations testing. He has participated as an author and co-author on many geotechnical and cold regions engineering papers, writing several articles for publication. He is a life member of ASCE and a fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada and Canadian Geotechnical Society. He is a past member of several important engineering groups. Shields has also received many honors over his career.
The Can-Am Civil Engineering Amity Award is given to a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers or of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers for either a specific instance that has had a continuing benefit in understanding and goodwill, or a career of exemplary professional activity that has contributed to the amity of the United States and Canada.
