Emmanuel Detournay Receives the Minnesota Federation of Engineering, Science, and Technology Societies Charles W. Britzius Distinguished Engineer Award Saint Paul, Minn., 5/10/2021 – Minnesota Federation of Engineering, Science, and Technology Societies (MFESTS) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Minnesota Section have named Emmanuel Detournay as the 2021 recipient of the Charles W. Britzius Distinguished Engineer Award.
The Minnesota Federation of Engineering, Science and Technology Societies (MFESTS) presents this award annually to a nominated individual submitted by MFESTS member societies which includes the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Minnesota Section. The award will be presented at the 2021 MFESTS Board Meeting held on June 22, 2021.
The Charles W. Britzius Distinguished Engineer Award recognizes outstanding lifetime achievements in the practice of engineering, contributions to the engineering profession, and actions enhancing the image of engineering in our society. Charles W. Britzius was the epitome of the distinguished engineer, having excelled in all three areas recognized by the award: he was the founder of Twin City Testing, Inc.; was a long-time contributor to the Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers, Minnesota Section; served as mayor of Deephaven; and was a tireless supporter of numerous professional and civic causes.
Roseville, MN resident Emmanuel Detournay holds a graduate engineer degree, a Master of Science degree in Geoengineering from the University of Liège, Belgium, and a PhD, Geoengineering from the University of Minnesota.
He is a Professor at the University of Minnesota, where he teaches courses to undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of soil mechanics, rock mechanics, drilling mechanics, and poromechanics. Emmanuel mentors graduate students through training and research as they progress toward and obtain MS and PhD degrees. Research activities involve training graduate students and performing scientific research in the areas of fluid-driven fractures and rock drilling.
"The MFESTS award nomination process realizes many career benefits such as reflection for our members to take stock of unique contributions and motivates our members to seek feedback to achieve further stretch goals" said Cathy Krier, MFESTS 2020-2021 President. "Based on the nomination channels, the MFESTS recognition process ultimately boosts the immediate and long-term visibility of the member’s science/engineering contributions across the widest range of engineering disciplines collectively represented by the member societies, reaching the broader Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics community in Minnesota."
Professor Emmanuel Detournay was nominated in recognition of his scientific achievements, is contributions to engineering education, and his research activity leading to technology transfer. He is a world-renown expert in the mechanics of fluid-driven fractures and the mechanics of drilling. The trademark of Detournay is his ability to develop creative answers to practical engineering problems using rigorous mathematical tools and well-conceived physical concepts, and perhaps even more important, is his ability to instill in his students this first-principled approach to solving applied problems. His research is far-reaching, from the development of theoretical solutions for modeling the hydraulic fracture process, to the design of an apparatus to determine the compressive strength of rock. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2016 for these outstanding achievements.
MFESTS is an umbrella organization comprised of engineering-related member societies
within the State of Minnesota. There currently are nineteen societies/chapters, representing
approximately 6,000 individuals, that are members of MFESTS.
MFESTS three primary mission are:
1) To provide service to the Societies that are members of the Federation.
2) To provide a service to the community at large and especially to young people in hope of helping them learn more about potential careers in the fields of engineering, science, and technology.
3) To provide professional development services to professionals in engineering-related careers.
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is one of the member societies of MFESTS. It is a non-profit professional organization founded in 1852 with over 150,000 members worldwide. Locally, the Minnesota Section was established in 1914, and represents more than 1400 members that work in all levels of government, academia and the private sector to design, construct and maintain our State’s infrastructure. One of ASCE’s key responsibilities is to advocate for infrastructure stewardship in an effort to protect the public’s health, safety, and improve our quality of life. The Minnesota Section represents all of Minnesota except for the Counties in the northeast portion of the state, which are part of the Duluth Section.