EERI is pleased to announce that Polly Murray (M.EERI 2017) is a 2024 recipient of the Younger Member Award, in recognition of her energetic and kind leadership for the Seismic Design Competition, Student Leadership Council, and the Younger Members Committee and her commitment to diversity, inclusion, and mentorship. The EERI Younger Member Award is awarded to recognize early-career members of the Institute who have made outstanding contributions to the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute and the pursuit of its objectives in the early stages of their career—especially contributions that have improved opportunities for and increased the impact of younger members within the Institute.
Murray is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Alaska at Anchorage. Her research centers around reducing seismic risk in residential construction, with a particular focus on structures built out of compliance with modern building codes. This work has included seismic performance assessments of reinforced concrete and masonry houses in Puerto Rico, and wood frame houses in Alaska. Murray earned her PhD and MS from the University of Colorado Boulder, and a BS in Civil Engineering from Tufts University. She teaches courses in introductory programming for engineering and reinforced concrete design.
Murray has shown sustained and substantial commitment to EERI’s activities since joining as a student member more than five years ago. She currently serves as co-chair of the Younger Members Committee, where she is developing a mentorship program to aid in the development of younger members and those mid-career.
