Jacobo Bielak Elected to National Academy of Engineering

Jacobo Bielak, University Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering (NAE), along with Carnegie Mellon colleagues Tom M. Mitchell and Paul Nielsen.
   
The NAE, along with the National Academy of Sciences and the other institutions that comprise the National Academies, advises the federal government on questions of policy in science and technology. NAE membership honors people who have made important contributions to engineering theory and practice, and who have demonstrated unusual accomplishments in pioneering new and developing fields of technology.
   
"Election to the National Academy of Engineering is a great honor. I want to commend Jacobo Bielak, Tom Mitchell and Paul Nielsen for achieving this recognition from their peers for their work in earthquake modeling, artificial intelligence and aerospace engineering. To date, 36 members of our community have been elected to the NAE. Their research, professional interests and contributions to education further establish the importance of engineering leadership to U.S. global competitiveness," said Jared L. Cohon, president of Carnegie Mellon.
   
For more than 15 years Bielak and his research team have collaborated with the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center in developing and applying methodologies for modeling ground motion and structural performance in large basins in order to identify what can be done to prevent earthquake disasters.
   
"I am thrilled with this honor and recognition," said Bielak, who last year was named a University Professor, the highest distinction a faculty member can achieve at Carnegie Mellon. "I want to acknowledge the wonderful support for my work from both the College of Engineering and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. This is a truly collaborative university where innovation and creativity remain the hallmarks of success."
   
Bielak currently leads a four-year, $1.6 million National Science Foundation-supported project to develop tools for high fidelity, physics-based petascale simulations of entire seismic-prone regions.
   
"Jacobo Bielak is known for his pioneering work in creating three-dimensional models that can simulate how earthquakes impact buildings, bridges and other critical infrastructures," said NAE member Pradeep K. Khosla, the Philip and Marsha Dowd Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and dean of the College of Engineering. "Jacobo has made many outstanding contributions to his research field, and also to Carnegie Mellon in his teaching and advising of students, and this honor is well deserved."
   
Bielak is the recipient of the Gordon Bell Prize and is a member of the Mexican Academy of Engineering and the Mexican Academy of Sciences. He joined Carnegie Mellon's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department in 1978. He completed his undergraduate degree from the National University of Mexico, and his master's degree in civil engineering from Rice University. He earned his Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology.
   
The NAE elected 68 new members and nine foreign associates this year, bringing the total U.S. membership to 2,267 and the number of foreign associates to 196. For the complete list of Carnegie Mellon's NAE members, visit http://www.cmu.edu/news/rankings-awards/awards/professional-societies.shtml.