EERI is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Housner Medal! Click here to submit a nomination. The nomination deadline is June 17, 2024 at 11:59pm Pacific Time.
The George W. Housner Medal of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute is awarded to recognize members of the Institute and others who have made extraordinary and lasting contributions to public earthquake safety through the development and application of earthquake hazard reduction practices and policies. This award is not established to recognize major engineering or scientific research contributions or advancements, but it may very well be given to individuals who have made such contributions. This, the most prestigious award of the Institute, shall be granted to at most one individual and perhaps none in each calendar year. This award may be granted only upon the unanimous concurrence of the Board of Directors. Each recipient shall receive an engraved medal, framed citation, and costs for attendance to receive the medal at the Annual Meeting of the Institute.
Nomination and Selection Procedures
Nomination Protocol
- Nominations shall be requested from the membership via the EERI Pulse Newsletter. Nominations can be submitted starting May 1 of each year. The nomination period will be about 1 month long.
- All nominations shall be submitted in written format using an online form. A short justification is required and further documentation is optional.
Selection Protocol
- Candidates shall be reviewed and selected annually by the Honors Committee for recommendation in confidence to the Board of Directors.
- Conflict of interest and bias in the selection of awardees shall be avoided with the utmost of care. Nominees for any of the awards that are also serving as members of the Board of Directors, the Honors Committee, or the Editorial Board for Earthquake Spectra, shall be precluded from all deliberations concerning the selection of candidates for the award for which they have been nominated. Should preclusion of a Board Member or Committee Chair be required, Board and Committee activities required to nominate and select candidates for the award shall be chaired by an ad hoc chairperson selected by other members of the Board or committee. All oral and written deliberations concerning selection of the ad hoc chairperson and candidates for the corresponding award shall be kept in the strictest of confidence from award nominees.
- Written justifications for one nominee and one alternate may be recommended to the Board each calendar year. Citations for each candidate will be prepared prior to consideration by the Board by prominent and well-qualified members of the Institute. If no candidates are recommended by the Honors Committee, the Board should be so notified in writing.
Award Protocol
- The recipient shall be notified prior to the Annual Meeting by the President of the Institute.
- The award shall be announced and presented at the EERI Annual Meeting. Note, the 2025 Medalist will be presented with their award at the 13th National Conference on Earthquake Engineering in 2026.
- The award together with pictures of the recipient shall be announced in the Newsletter.
- The recipient shall receive
- a framed citation
- an engraved medal
- registration fee for the EERI Annual Meeting
- Citation materials for recipients selected by the Board at their last meeting of the year shall be reviewed immediately by the Executive Director in order that they might be resubmitted to the original authors, if necessary, for improvement in time for printing, framing, engraving, and presentation at the EERI Annual Meeting.
