Nordenson elected to National Academy of Engineering

Guy Nordenson, a professor of architecture and affiliated member of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, which is among the highest honors awarded to engineers.

the Office of Engineering Communications

Guy Nordenson, a professor of architecture and affiliated member of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, which is among the highest honors awarded to engineers. In a statement announcing 133 new members, the National Academy recognized Nordenson for “structural engineering and leadership in promoting structures as art and culture.”

Portrait
Guy Nordenson. Photo by Denise Applewhite, Office of Communications

Nordenson, who joined the Princeton faculty in 1995, is a practicing structural engineer who works at the intersection of architecture, engineering and policy.

“What I’ve learned teaching at Princeton all these years is the multiple ways that engineers can serve,” said Nordenson. “It’s important that policy is informed by rigorous science and engineering, and that design plays role in helping people visualize what their future may look like.” The interactions between engineering, design and policy “offer an exciting leadership role for engineers in serving society,” he added.

Nordenson has served as the structural engineer for the New Vassar and Simmons residence halls at MIT, the Santa Fe Opera House, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and over 200 other projects. Current and recent projects include the Frick Collection, the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, as well as the International African American Museum in Charleston and the Museum of Fine Arts expansion, Glassell School of Art, and Menil Drawing Institute in Houston. In New York City he also oversaw the design and installation of David Hammons’ “Day’s End” sculpture in the Hudson River.

He initiated and led the development of New York City’s seismic code from 1984 to its enactment into local law in 1995. Since 2007 he has been engaged in climate adaptation and flood hazard mitigation research at Princeton and has been active in improving the resilience of New York City. Nordenson was commissioner and secretary of the New York City Public Design Commission and a member of the NYC Panel on Climate Change. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

In addition to Nordenson, several Princeton alumni were named members of the National Academy of Engineering. They include:

Marian Croak ’77

Vice president, Engineering, Google. For technical and managerial leadership in the implementation of packet voice networking and for promotion of minority inclusion in engineering.

Roger Myers *89, Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering

Consultant, R Myers Consulting. For technical leadership in the development of advanced electrical and chemical space propulsion systems.

Charles Wyman *71, Ph.D. in chemical engineering

Ford Motor Company Chair and Distinguished Professor, Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering, University of California-Riverside. For advances in transforming lignocellulosic feedstocks to low-carbon-footprint fuels and chemicals.