Fatigue and Fracture Expert to Receive 2026 Higgins Lectureship Award
CHICAGO – The American Institute of Steel Construction will present the 2026 T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award to Caroline Bennett, PE, PhD.
Bennett is the Charles E. & Mary Jane Spahr Professor in and chair of the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering (CEAE) at the University of Kansas (KU). Her research has addressed some of the most pressing challenges in structural engineering, including fatigue and fracture performance of steel infrastructure, constraint-induced fracture in steel bridges, and innovative structural retrofit strategies for a wide range of structures.
“The jury was very impressed by Dr. Bennett’s accomplishments, particularly her research leading to extending the life span of critical infrastructure” said AISC Vice President of Engineering and Research Christopher Raebel, SE, PE, PhD. “In particular, her work in improving the quality of galvanized steel has been very impactful. I look forward to hearing her insights this spring.”
AISC will present the award, which includes a $15,000 honorarium, at the opening session of NASCC: The Steel Conference in Atlanta on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. She will also present the closing keynote on Friday, April 25 and repeat her presentation on request throughout the country. (Contact AISC Senior Director of Education Christina Harber at harber@aisc.org to inquire about scheduling a T.R. Higgins lecture.)
Bennett has led national projects with the Federal Highway Administration, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineer Research and Development Center, and several state Departments of Transportation, delivering solutions that extend the service life of structures and improve infrastructure performance.
She serves on AISC’s Committee on Research as well as the TC10 Materials and Fabrication Committee. She recently served on AISC’s Game Changer panel. She also contributes to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Steel Bridge Task Force and Transportation Research Board committees, strengthening connections between research and practice.
Bennett received AISC’s Special Achievement Award in 2024 for her work on advancing knowledge about the behavior of hot-dip galvanized steel structures as well as AISC’s inaugural Early Career Faculty Award in 2016. In 2013, AISI named her the Robert J. Dexter Memorial Lecturer.
For more information contact:
Dani Friedland
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About the American Institute of Steel Construction
The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), a not-for-profit technical institute supported by the steel industry, partners with the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) community to develop safe and efficient steel specifications and codes while driving innovation to make steel the most sustainable, economic, and resilient structural material. For more than a century, AISC has been a reliable resource for information and advice on the design and construction of domestically fabricated structural steel buildings and bridges.
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