NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Henry Petroski, the Aleksandar S. Vesic Professor of Civil Engineering and a professor of history at , will speak on “The Paradox of Design: Success through Failure” on Wednesday, April 12, at ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ University in the final presentation of the 2005-06 .
Petroski’s lecture will begin at 6 p.m. in Benton Chapel, with a 5 p.m. reception preceding the lecture. Both events are free and open to the public, but seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Parking is available in Wesley Place Garage, located on the corner of 21st Avenue South and Scarritt Place. Benton Chapel is located at 411 21st Ave. S.
Petroski is the author of a dozen books on design and the history of engineering and technology. His newest book, , is being published by .
In addition to books and technical articles in journals, Petroski has written several articles and essays for newspapers and magazines, including and , and he writes columns regularly for and ASEE Prism. He also lectures frequently to both technical and general audiences in the United States and abroad, and has been interviewed extensively on radio and television.
Petroski received his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from in 1963 and his master’s in theoretical and applied mechanics in 1964 from the . He earned his Ph.D. in theoretical and applied mechanics from Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1968.
Before moving to Duke in 1980, Petroski was a member of the faculty and on the staff of in DuPage County, Ill., where he was responsible for research and development efforts in fracture mechanics. A registered professional engineer and also a chartered engineer, he received a presidential appointment in 2004 to the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.
Petroski has held fellowships from the , the and the . In February, he was given the 2006 intersociety Washington Award by the . Among Petroski’s other honors are the Ralph Coats Roe Medal from the and the Civil Engineering History and Heritage Award from the , whose history and heritage committee he currently chairs.
Petroski is a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the and the , and a member of the . He also is an honorary member of the Moles and a member of the .
The Chancellor’s Lecture Series serves to bring to ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ and the wider Nashville community intellectuals who are shaping the world today. For more information about the Chancellor’s Lecture Series, visit www.vanderbilt.edu/chancellor/cls.
Media contact: Todd Vessel, (615) 322-NEWS
todd.vessel@vanderbilt.edu