Congratulations to Associate Professor Tracy Becker, who has been awarded The Professor Ed & Diane Wilson Presidential Chair in Structural Engineering. First established in 2016, the endowed chair is generously funded by Berkeley CEE alumnus Ashraf Habibullah, the Founder, CEO and President of Computers & Structures, Inc. (CSI).
Ed and Diane Wilson are alumni of UC Berkeley, with a deep and longtime commitment to their alma mater. In 1965, Ed Wilson joined the faculty in structural engineering at Berkeley, where he was a pioneer in structural analysis, computer analysis, dynamics, and finite-element methods. He created the original 3D earthquake analysis programs, and developed successive programs to analyze structural systems.
Wilson provided mentorship to Habibullah in laying the groundwork for the founding of CSI, by developing the pioneering computer programs central to the company's product line.
(Caption: Ed Wilson and Tracy Becker)
In Wilson's honor, Habibullah established the Presidential Chair to provide support for structural engineering faculty and their students.
Professor Becker's research focuses on increasing the reliability of communities by developing, better understanding, and facilitating the adoption of advanced structural systems that protect structures in natural or man-made disasters, resulting in the smallest possible losses.