Engineers Without Borders-USA to Receive 2010 Turner Prize

On September 21, 2010, the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. will award Engineers Without Borders–USA (EWB–USA) the 2010 Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology. EWB–USA is receiving the Turner Prize, which carries an honorarium of $25,000, for its notable work connecting engineering students with development projects around the globe.

“Engineers Without Borders–USA is thrilled to be the recipient of the Henry C. Turner Prize as it acknowledges the incredible work that our members do around the world,” said EWB-USA executive director Cathy Leslie. “It is awards like this that allow us to continue to connect student and professional engineers with people in need and also positively affect the way engineering is regarded as a profession with the ability to make a difference.”

EWB–USA, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, has chapters at universities and colleges across the United States. Each chapter makes multi-year commitments to build infrastructure in developing countries in partnership with local communities and non-governmental organizations. With active projects in more than 45 countries, this inspirational organization is not only providing clean water, sustainable energy, and needed infrastructure to communities in every corner of the world, but is also instilling a sense of global responsibility in the next generation of engineers.

EWB–USA was selected as the recipient of the Turner Prize by the Henry C. Turner Prize jury, composed of five members—Tom Turner, past vice president of Turner Construction Company; M. Arthur Gensler, founder and chairman of the architectural firm Gensler; Clyde Tatum, professor and chair, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University; and Hal Parmalee, past president of Turner Construction Company.

“Programs like Engineers Without Borders–USA provide the technical knowledge and working solutions to enable people to help themselves,” says Arthur Gensler, Henry C. Turner Prize jury member. “This organization gives locals hope and talented engineering professionals the opportunity to share their knowledge with countries that can so greatly benefit from their efforts.”

From 6:30 – 8:00 pm on Tuesday, September 21, 2010, the Henry C. Turner Prize will be formally presented in Washington, D.C. during a public ceremony at the National Building Museum. Cathy Leslie, executive director of EWB–USA, will accept the award and present an overview of the organization’s work along with representatives from various EWB–USA chapters.

The Henry C. Turner Prize is named after the founder of Turner Construction Company, which was established in 1902 in New York City. The prize recognizes an invention, an innovative methodology, and/or exceptional leadership by an individual or team of individuals in construction technology. This includes construction techniques, innovations and practices, construction and project management, and engineering design.

Since its inception in 2002, the Turner Prize has been awarded to: structural engineer Leslie E. Robertson; architect I.M. Pei; engineer and builder Charles A. DeBenedittis; the U.S. Green Building Council; Paul Teicholz, founder of  Stanford University’s Center for Integrated Facility Engineering; Gehry Partners and Gehry Technologies; and Charles Thornton, engineer and founder of the ACE Mentor Program. The Turner Construction Company established an endowment in 2001 to support the prize, which carries a cash award of $25,000.