Craig Benson, Ph.D., P.E., a professor of civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and well-known contributor in the geosynthetics community, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
The NAE elected 66 new members and 10 foreign associates, it announced in a Feb. 9 press release.
Benson, a Wisconsin Distinguished Professor, director of sustainability research and education, and chair of civil and environmental engineering at UW, was specifically cited by the NAE for “improvements in design, construction and monitoring of earthen liners and covers for municipal hazardous and radioactive waste landfills.”
Benson has been a keynote speaker and teacher of short courses for government agencies and at numerous engineering conferences. He has also served as the director of the Recycled Materials Resource Center, which focuses on sustainable construction of transportation infrastructure.
The NAE release noted that “[NAE] membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to ‘engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature,’ and to the ‘pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.’”