Housner, G. W. (George William), 1910-2008

Biography

George William Housner, the C. F. Braun Professor of Engineering, Emeritus, is one of the pioneers in earthquake engineering, and is internationally known for his outstanding contributions to theory and practice in the field of structural dynamics. Housner has served as president of the International Association for Earthquake Engineering, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, and the Seismological Society of America.

Professor Housner was born in Saginaw, Michigan on December 9, 1910. He received his BS degree in mathematics from the University of Michigan in 1933, and his MS degree in civil engineering from the California Institute of Technology the following year. From 1934 to 1939 he worked as a structural engineer in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, then returned to the California Institute of Technology for further studies, obtaining his PhD in civil engineering in 1941.

During World War II Housner worked with the US Army Corps of Engineers on problems of protective construction; and from 1943 to 1945 he served as chief of the Operations Analysis Section of the 15th Air Force Unit in North Africa and Italy. He received the Distinguished Civilian Service Award for his contributions to optimizing air force operations during the war.

Professor Housner joined the California Institute of Technology faculty as an assistant professor in 1945, later serving as professor of civil engineering and applied mechanics. Professor Housner conducted research in earthquake engineering on characteristics of destructive ground shaking, earthquake design spectrum, and seismic design of structures, including high-rise buildings and liquid storage tanks.

In parallel to his academic career, Housner served as a consultant on several of the earliest skyscrapers built in Los Angeles and has been an earthquake engineering consultant to dozens of governmental agencies and major corporations, including the California Department of Water Resources, the California Department of Transportation, the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit System, the Japanese Atomic Energy Commission, the Italian Nuclear Energy Commission, and the Bechtel Corporation. In 1986 he was named a consultant on the construction of Metro Rail in Los Angeles.

Housner's contributions to earthquake engineering have been recognized by his election to membership in the National Academy of Engineering in 1965, the National Academy of Sciences in 1972, the Indian National Science Academy in 1984, and the Japan Academy of Science in 1991. He has received many honors and awards, including the Von Kármán Medal of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1974, Medal of the Seismological Society of America in 1981; and in 1988 he received the National Medal of Science. In 1989, Professor Housner became the first recipient of the George W. Housner Medal of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute.