Geotechnical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder

Professor Amadei

Bernard Amadei is Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. His main research and teaching interests are in rock mechanics and engineering geology. He obtained his MaSc. degree (Civil Engineering) in 1979 from the University of Toronto and his Ph.D. degree (Civil Engineering) in 1982 from the University of California, Berkeley.

In 1984, Prof. Amadei was awarded the Manuel Rocha medal from the International Society of Rock Mechanics (ISRM) for his doctoral work. In 1992, he was the first recipient of the Schlumberger Lecture Award from the ISRM for excellence in rock mechanics in mid-career. He was a member of the U.S. Committee for Rock Mechanics (National Research Council) and Chairman of the ASCE Rock Mechanics Committee from 1990-1994. Prof. Amadei was one of the co-founders of the new American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA). He is currently president of ARMA. ARMA was created in the spirit of developing synergy and dialog between industry and academia.

Prof. Amadei has been extremely active in publishing papers in both scientific journals and professional meetings. He has co-authored two books and approximately 150 technical papers. The first book entitled "Rock Anisotropy and the Theory of Stress Measurements" was a published version of his doctoral dissertation by Springer Verlag. Chapman and Hall published the second book entitled “Rock Stress and Its Measurement” in 1997. This book presents the results of more than 10 years of research and practice on the subject of in situ stresses from the local engineering scale to the global (world stress map) scale.

Prof. Amadei's research at the University of Colorado has been multidisciplinary. His emphasis has been in the understanding of the physics and mechanics of geomaterials, rock engineering and engineering geology. He has been interested in the effect of anisotropy and fracturing on the deformability and strength of rock masses, the hydraulic behavior of rock masses, and the measurement of in situ stresses. Over the years, Prof. Amadei has broadened his horizons in other areas of civil engineering such as the engineering of unreinforced masonry structures, and dam engineering. He has been involved in joint research with glaciologists in the understanding and modeling of glacier fracturing and calving, and the measurement of stresses in glacier ice. Prof. Amadei has also provided consulting services to various engineering companies and organizations around the world. As a major thesis advisor, he has advised 13 Ph.D. students and 12 M.S. students since 1982.

More recently, Prof. Amadei has been interested in the topics of sustainability, green construction, and renewable energies. He is leading a new paradigm shift in engineering education and practice called Earth Systems Engineering (ESE). This new initiative emphasizes the interaction between engineering structures (the built environment) and natural systems. It is based on the working definition of ESE adopted by the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 2000:

“ESE is a multidisciplinary (engineering, science, social science, and governance) process of solution development that takes a holistic view of natural and human system interactions. The goal of ESE is to better understand complex, nonlinear systems of global importance and to develop the tools necessary to implement that understanding”

This new approach requires engineers to work with nature rather than against it and to recognize that matters of Soul cannot be separated from matters of Mind. These changes are necessary for engineers of the future to make intelligent decisions that enhance the quality of life on Earth rather than endanger it.

Prof. Amadei is also the Founder and current President of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-USA), an outreach program and non-profit organization dedicated to helping the economic development of rural areas in developing countries with their engineering needs for water, sanitation, and energy systems. The mission of EWB-USA ranges from the construction of sustainable systems that rural communities can own and operate without external assistance, to empowering such communities by enhancing local social, technical, managerial, and entrepreneurial skills.

One of Prof. Amadei’s goals is to promote sustainable development and system thinking in the curriculum and research of civil engineering programs at CU Boulder and other U.S. universities.