Draft:Norbert Morgenstern

Norbert R. Morgenstern is a Canadian geotechnical engineer and professor, specializing in geotechnical engineering. He is recognized as one of the world's pre-eminent civil engineers, with over 300 published research publications and more than forty awards for achievement in engineering.

Early Life and Education

Morgenstern was born in Toronto on May 25th 1935 to parents Joel and Bella Morgenstern. He earned a Bachelor degree in engineering from the University of Toronto in 1956. He was awarded the Athlone Fellowship for post-graduate studies, the purpose of which was to send Canadian engineering students to Britain for further study. With the Fellowship, he enrolled at Imperial College London, achieving his Doctorate in soil mechanics 1964 under the supervision of Sir Alec Skempton.

Career

Morgenstern joined the faculty at Imperial College in 1958 as a Research Assistant, before becoming a Lecturer in 1960. The field of Geotechnical Engineering was started in Western Canada by the late Dean R. M. Hardy, Dean of Engineering at the University of Alberta for many years. He and the late Professor S. R. Sinclair encouraged Dr. Morgenstern to return to Canada and join the University of Alberta, which he did in 1968 as Professor of Civil Engineering.

He was named Professor of Civil Engineering in 1983 in recognition of his teaching, research and service accomplishments. In 1985, he achieved the distinction of University Professor. He was chairman of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering between 1995 and 1998, and he retired from teaching in 1999. Dr. Morgenstern remains active in research and consulting. He has served his profession as president of the Canadian Geoscience Council, the Canadian Geotechnical Society and the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering.

Following his return to Canada, he systematically began to build the University of Alberta into one of the leading geotechnical schools. Key colleagues were attracted to join him and outstanding graduate students were recruited both from across Canada and elsewhere. The 1970’s brought with them expanded engineering challenges in the development of both the arctic and the Alberta oil sands. In the 1980’s Professor Morgenstern broadened his range of active interests to include offshore engineering, foundation engineering and environmental matters.

Dr. Morgenstern and his colleagues and his students laid the framework for modern permafrost engineering, which has influenced all aspects of geotechnical design in the arctic. At the same time, studies into the geotechnical aspects of the Alberta oil sands contributed significantly to the enhanced safety and economy of developing the resource while research into tailings dams and other waste facilities contributed to improved environmental integrity within the mining industry.

His non-academic work as a consultant on water development projects, landslide studies and other resource development projects carried him to over twenty countries on six continents. He has assisted in technology transfer to developing countries through the United Nations and other agencies. Closer to home he has advised on numerous challenging foundation problems, he has been a consultant to many of the arctic development projects of the past two decades and has been closely associated with both operating oil sand mines.

Research and Contributions

Dr. Morgenstern's research and work concentrates on geotechnical aspects of oil sand development, permafrost engineering, dams, mine waste management, numerical modeling of geotechnical structures, progressive ground failure, landslides and risk analysis. His research has made a significant contribution to the practice of geotechnical engineering around the world.

Professor Morgenstern’s first research was into the mechanics of slope stability as it applies to the evaluation of landslides and the design of dams. This early research received recognition by the award on two occasions of the British Geotechnical Society Prize. The fruits of this research quickly passed into professional practice.

Research conducted under the direction of Dr. Morgenstern has already shown that static liquefaction is an important factor in triggering flow slides of large waste dumps in the mining industry. Another theme of Morgenstern's current research is the development of probabilistic methods of slope stability analyses and their calibration with geotechnical practice. This has been coupled with the development of risk analysis procedures for landslide assessment. This research promises to facilitate the transfer of probabilistic methods of analysis into industrial practice.

Awards and Honours

Dr. Morgenstern is the recipient of over 40 major honours and awards, including honorary degrees from the University of Toronto and Queen's University. He has delivered the prestigious Rankine, Terzaghi, Casagrande, Rocha and Lumb Lectures. Dr. Morgenstern is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the Engineering Institute of Canada and the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering. He is a Foreign Associate of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering; a Foreign Member of the U.K. Royal Academy of Engineering and a Foreign Fellow of the Indian Academy of Engineering. Dr. Morgenstern is a Member of the Alberta Order of Excellence and the Order of Canada.

Personal Life

Norbert Morgenstern has been married to his wife Patricia (née Gooderham) since 1960, and the couple have three children and seven grandchildren. They reside in Alberta, Canada. Morgenstern had a younger sister, Hilda Friedman.