C.W. Smith (engineer)

Short description: American engineering scientist

C. W. Smith

Born| (1926-01-01)January 1, 1926
Died| July 30, 2012(2012-07-30) (aged 86)
Alma mater| Virginia Tech (MS)
Virginia Tech (BS)
Scientific career
Fields| Mechanics
photoelasticity
fracture mechanics
Institutions| Virginia Tech

Charles  William Smith (January 1, 1926 — July 30, 2012) was an American engineer and professor.[1][2]

## Contents

* 1 Education
* 2 Research and career
* 3 Awards and recognition
* 4 References

## Education

Smith earned a BS in Civil Engineering in 1947 and an MS in Applied Mechanics in1950 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.[3]

## Research and career

Smith became a full-time instructor in 1948 while working on his master's degree. He was promoted to assistant professor in 1950 upon completing his degree. At the time Virginia Tech was strictly a teaching institution and Smith pushed for a stronger role of performing research. Following a seminar from George Rankine Irwin, Smith became interested in fracture mechanics and applying photoelasticity.[4] He was one of the investigators on the 1969 Department of Defense Themis grant that served as the genesis of Virginia Tech's international leadership in composite and advanced materials.[5] He retired in 1992 and became an Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus.[3] Smith was named an Honorary Member of the Society for Experimental Mechanics in 2002, a position held until his death in 2012.[6]

## Awards and recognition

* Society for Experimental Mechanics Fellow (1977)[7]
* Virginia Tech Alumni Award for Excellence in Research (1977)[8]
* Society for Experimental Mechanics Frocht (1983)[9]
* NASA's Langley Research Center Scientific Achievement Award (1986)[10]
* American Academy of Mechanics Fellow (1991)[11]
* Dan Pletta Engineering Educator of the Year Award from the Virginia Schools of Engineering (1991)[10]
* Society for Experimental Mechanics Murray Lecture and Award (1993)[12]
* Society for Experimental Mechanics Lazan (1995)[13]
* American Society of Mechanical Engineers Fellow (1997)[14]
* Society for Experimental Mechanics Tatnall (1997)[12]
* Society for Experimental Mechanics Honorary Member (2002 to 2012)[6]
* Virginia Tech Academy of Engineering Excellence (2006)[15]
* Society for Experimental Mechanics Taylor (2010)[16]

## References

1. ↑ "Charles William Smith Obituary (2012) Roanoke Times". https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/roanoke/name/charles-smith-obituary?id=25285405.
2. ↑ "Bill Smith - View Obituary & Service Information" (in en). https://www.hornefuneralservice.com/obituaries/Bill-Smith-6/.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "C. William Smith" (in en). https://eng.vt.edu/content/eng_vt_edu/en/about/distinguished-alumni/academy-of-engineering-excellence/c-william-smith.html.
4. ↑ "The Old and New…: A Narrative on the History of the Society for Experimental Mechanics" (in en-US). https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8345204.
5. ↑ "History of the Engineering Science and Mechanics Department Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University - PDF Free Download". https://docplayer.net/14642991-History-of-the-engineering-science-and-mechanics-department-virginia-polytechnic-institute-state-university.html.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Society for Experimental Mechanics". https://sem.org/awardshonorary.
7. ↑ "Society for Experimental Mechanics". https://sem.org/awardsfellow.
8. ↑ "C. William Smith" (in en). https://eng.vt.edu/content/eng_vt_edu/en/about/distinguished-alumni/academy-of-engineering-excellence/c-william-smith.html.
9. ↑ "Society for Experimental Mechanics". https://sem.org/awardsfrocht.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "In memoriam: C.W. Smith, Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Engineering Science and Mechanics" (in en). https://vtx.vt.edu/content/vtx_vt_edu/en/articles/2012/08/080212-engineering-smithmemorial.html.
11. ↑ "In Remembrance | American Academy of Mechanics" (in en-US). https://aamech.org/in-remembrance/.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Society for Experimental Mechanics". https://sem.org/awardstatnall.
13. ↑ "Society for Experimental Mechanics". https://sem.org/awardslazan.
14. ↑ "Fellows" (in en). https://www.asme.org/About-ASME/Honors-Awards/Joint-Society-Awards.
15. ↑ "Academy of Engineering Excellence" (in en). https://eng.vt.edu/content/eng_vt_edu/en/about/distinguished-alumni/academy-of-engineering-excellence.html.
16. ↑ "Society for Experimental Mechanics". https://sem.org/awardstaylor.

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