12:15 - 2:00 PM | Salon G/F (4th Floor)

John Carney III
Chancellor, Missouri University of Science and Technology

Dr. John F. Carney III received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Merrimack College in North Andover, MA (1963), and a master’s degree (1964) and Ph.D. (1966) in civil engineering from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.

He began his academic career in 1966 as a member of the University of Connecticut’s civil engineering faculty.  After 15 years of service at the University of Connecticut, he joined Auburn University in Auburn, AL as professor and head of the civil engineering department in 1981.  In 1983, he moved to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, as professor of civil engineering and served as associate dean for graduate affairs (1989-1993) and then associate dean for research and graduate affairs (1993-1996).  Carney then served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA, from 1996 through 2004, before becoming the Chancellor at Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Widely recognized in the research community for his work in the area of impact mechanics, Carney’s research has led to the development and implementation of a series of impact attenuation devices used in motorway safety applications. Carney holds ten patents in this area. In addition, his work with the railroad research community in Great Britain has led to new concepts for improving the crashworthiness of trains.

More recently, his research has focused on developing reusable, maintenance-free impact attenuation devices for transportation safety applications. These safety devices are constructed with “smart” materials that restore themselves to their original shapes following an impact, thereby eliminating the need for costly repair operations and associated liability concerns. These reusable devices are now used extensively throughout the United States and around the world.

Carney is the author of more than 140 technical publications in the area of structural mechanics. He was Chair of Transportation Research Board Committee A2A04 - Roadside Safety Features for six years, and served as a longtime member of the Executive Committee of the Highway Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers.  Carney has been active on numerous National Research Council committees and is a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers.  Carney is the 2007 recipient of the Kenneth A. Stonex award from the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his life-long contributions to the field of roadside safety.

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