Steven Lawrence Kramer is Professor Emeritus of

Geotechnical Engineering Geotechnical engineering, also known as geotechnics, is the branch of civil engineering concerned with the engineering behavior of earth materials. It uses the principles of soil mechanics and rock mechanics to solve its engineering problems. I ...

at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

Education

Steve Kramer received his B.S. (1977), M.Eng. (1979), and Ph.D. (1985) in

Civil Engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

Professional career

Kramer joined the

faculty in 1984, where he researched

liquefaction In materials science, liquefaction is a process that generates a liquid from a solid or a gas or that generates a non-liquid phase which behaves in accordance with fluid dynamics. It occurs both naturally and artificially. As an example of t ...

, seismic slope stability and dynamic soil behavior. Kramer also held positions at the International Centre for Geohazards at the

Norwegian Geotechnical Institute Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (, ''NGI'') is an independent Norwegian centre for research and consultancy in engineering-related geosciences, such as the geotechnical, geological and geophysical areas. It was created in 1953 and became a private ...

and the European School for Advanced Studies in the Reduction of Seismic Risk (the ROSE School) at the

University of Pavia The University of Pavia (, UNIPV or ''Università di Pavia''; ) is a university located in Pavia, Lombardy, Italy. There was evidence of teaching as early as 1361, making it one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest un ...

. He retired in 2020. He authored the first textbook on Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and co-led the multi-institution Next Generation Liquefaction project, sponsored by the U.S.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with protecting public health and safety related to nuclear energy. Established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, the ...

, the U.S.

Bureau of Reclamation The Bureau of Reclamation, formerly the United States Reclamation Service, is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees water resource management, specifically as it ...

, several transportation agencies, and others. Kramer has contributed technical consulting to a range of infrastructure projects, such as the

Alaskan Way Viaduct The Alaskan Way Viaduct ("the viaduct" for short) was an elevated freeway in Seattle, Washington, United States, that carried a section of Washington State Route 99, State Route 99 (SR 99). The double-decked freeway ran north–south along the ...

replacement in Seattle and the

Millennium Tower (San Francisco) 301 Mission Street is a high-rise residential building in the South of Market, San Francisco, South of Market district of downtown San Francisco. A mixed-use, primarily residential high rise, it is the tallest residential building and the List ...

mediation. Kramer was elected a member of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

in 2020, for contributions to geotechnical earthquake engineering, including liquefaction, seismic stability, and seismic site response.

Awards

Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize The Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize (Huber Award) is the highest level mid-career research award in all areas of civil engineering. The award is annually given to individuals with notable achievements and contributions in research with resp ...

, 1996 *

ASCE The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is a tax-exempt professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, it is the oldest national engineering soci ...

Norman Medal The Norman Medal is the highest honor granted by the American Society of Civil Engineers for a technical paper that makes a definitive contribution to engineering science and is distinguished by its "practical value" and "impact on engineering pract ...

, 2009 and 2017 *

H. Bolton Seed Medal, 2018 *Academy of Distinguished Alumni, Civil Engineering, University of California Berkeley, 2020 *

, 2020

References

External links

Steve Kramer profile at the University of Washington
Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering University of Washington faculty Engineering academics American civil engineers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) UC Berkeley College of Engineering alumni 20th-century American engineers {{US-engineer-stub