2023 Dennis & Leslie Drag Distinguished Lecture
Research to Realization
A Presentation by Ron Klemencic, PE, SE, Dist. Member ASCE, Fellow SEI, NAC, Hon. AIA.
Chairman and CEO
Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Thursday, February 16th, 2023, 4:30pm - ARMS B061
Faculty and Students are invited to a reception in Wood Commons (Hampton Hall) at 3:30 pm before the lecture
Fruit is hanging low on the tree of structural engineering innovation! Every day, opportunities for advancement present themselves driven by the demand to be ever-more efficient, effective, and sustainable. The key to identifying these opportunities is an acute appreciation for what the world wants – or needs. Once identified, collaborative research is key to proving-out ideas, developing the necessary supporting evidence, and providing design guidance. Ultimate success is found in the realization and implementation of innovations marked by wide-spread adoption.
Numerous examples of success will be highlighted in this presentation. How was the need identified? What did the process of innovation look like? What struggles and roadblocks were overcome? What does success look like? Ron Klemencic will share examples from his career including on-going research in collaboration with Purdue University among many others.
Speaker Bio
Ron Klemencic is Chairman and CEO of Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA), an award-winning, 195-person structural and civil engineering firm founded in 1920 with offices in Seattle, Washington, and Chicago, Illinois. An industry innovator and one of the preeminent high-rise structural engineers practicing today, Ron is sought by developers, architects, and contractors worldwide for his creativity, “big picture” approach, and unique ability to consistently produce cost-effective and inventive designs.
Through his roles as a Director of the Charles Pankow Foundation and the MKA Foundation, in addition to his daily work as a practicing structural engineer, Ron continues to lead the research and development of many new technologies and systems that further the engineering profession. He has championed numerous innovations throughout his career—from implementing Performance-Based Seismic Design for high-rise buildings beginning in the mid-1990s, to the development and successful
application of the first-of-its-kind, non-proprietary SpeedCore structural system starting in the early-2000s, to recent advancements in Performance-Based Wind Design and Structural Fire Design.
Engineering News-Record (ENR) included Ron on its annual list of Top 25 Newsmakers on three occasions, and he received an Award of Excellence from ENR. He also was named an AEC Industry Innovator and Disruptor by Building Design+Construction magazine. Ron received the Dennis L. Tewksbury Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)/Structural Engineering Institute (SEI), the Fazlur Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award and Civil Engineering Alumni Achievement Award from Purdue University, and ASCE’s Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) Award in recognition of his innovation, leadership, and lifetime achievement in engineering design.
Ron is committed to the advancement of individuals within the engineering profession. He has been an advisor to academic research projects at Purdue University, the University of Washington, and the University of California at Berkeley and Los Angeles. In addition, Ron has made presentations at educational institutions throughout the United States and Canada, including Purdue University, Stanford University, the University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Washington. He has also participated as a guest speaker and presenter at conferences and seminars for the American Concrete Institute, American Institute of Architects, American Institute of Steel Construction, ASCE/SEI, CTBUH, National Academy of Construction, National Council of Structural Engineers Associations, and other organizations.
A Purdue University alum, Ron was inducted into the University’s Cooperative Education Hall of Fame in 2017. In addition, he received Purdue’s Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award in 2013 and Civil Engineering Alumni Achievement Award in 2003.