Magued Iskander receives inaugural educator’s award from the American Society of Civil Engineers

Magued Iskander is known throughout the civil engineering world for his (literally) groundbreaking research on piles, which are driven into the Earth to support skyscrapers and other structures with deep foundations, and for his development of transparent soil surrogates, invaluable in studying soil-structure interactions.

While his work in the lab has attracted numerous accolades, it is his dedication to teaching and mentorship that earned him his latest honor.

This month, Iskander, the Chair of NYU Tandon’s Department of Civil and Urban Engineering, was presented with the inaugural American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Metropolitan Section Educator of the Year Award.

“It is difficult to grasp the magnitude of the impact that Professor Iskander has had on his students, and thus, our profession,” the Tandon alumnus who nominated him for the honor wrote. “I have never met a more dedicated, caring, and accomplished educator ... Beyond his responsibilities as a grant bearer and scientist, he truly cared for the members of our Ph.D. cohort, and at no moment was there any doubt that our professional well-being was his number-one priority.”

There are dozens of other alumni who can attest to those sentiments. Among the civil engineers who have studied under him are numerous CEOs and company directors, high-level government agency members, and those who followed in his footsteps by joining the faculties of universities around the globe.

It is not only graduate students who have benefited from his support and mentorship. NYU Tandon teams regularly take first place in ASCE student challenges like Steel Bridge and Concrete Canoe, and members — largely undergraduates — consistently credit Iskander for ensuring that they have the resources and guidance needed to be competitive and for cheering them on.

His influence has had a ripple effect: many point out that they have been inspired by him to remain active in ASCE and to devote themselves to helping other civil engineers succeed in the profession.

One former student, Uma Lakshman, who now serves as president of the New York Professional Chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), a post that involves working with several EWB university chapters, says, “I consider it a real privilege to be able to mentor students the way I was mentored at Tandon.”