MEMBER PROFILE Professor Anne Lemnitzer: An Engineer for All Seasons has also spent time studying in Chile, France and Italy. And that’s just for openers. Lemnitzer’s areas of teaching include earthquake engineering, soil mechanics, foundation design, site characterization, and, formerly, statics and dynamics, mechanics of materials, and everything structural and geotechnical in between. She has authored or coauthored over 50 peer-reviewed conference and journal papers, and an equal number of data sets and reports. Add in a myriad number of technical conference presentations, committee service, plus her laboratory and field studies, and you become aware of just how productive a geoprofessional she is. As if this wasn’t achievement enough, If you need an expert to show you the difference between a tub of chocolate gelato and that of polymer slurry, Anne Lemnitzer, Ph.D., P.E., associate professor of geotech- nical engineering at University of California Irvine (UCI), is the one you would call on. She is as comfortable in a lab, on a job site, on an advanced skier mogul slope, on a photo shoot, or, as she would be, behind a counter serving gelato and exotic bakery goods. She is a multitalented and multi- faceted professional with academic, research and varied recreational interests that might make an ordinary person’s head spin. She is a past Fulbright scholar, holding a Ph.D. and two master’s degrees in civil and structural engineering, with a strong minor in geotechnical engineering. Her education spans the Atlantic Ocean with engineering studies conducted at the University of Applied Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; California State University, Long Beach; and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she ultimately gained her doctorate degree in 2009. She AUTHOR S. Scot Litke, Hon. D.GE DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JULY/AUG 2019 • 71 she has also received nearly two million dollars in funding to support her research and those working under her direction. In recognition of her vast array of technical achievements, she has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards bestowed upon her by national and international organizations. In addition to serving as a trustee, her DFI activities include being the coeditor in chief of the DFI Journal, serving on technical committees and being a conference organizer as well as a technical presenter. She serves not only DFI but also a variety of related and highly-respected professional societies including the Geo- Institute of the ASCE. Lemnitzer takes particular pride in mentoring and advising her undergraduate and graduate students. She has worked with over 50 graduate students in the past years, whether as an immediate Ph.D. or M.S. thesis advisor, as a member of their Ph.D. committees, or by supervising individual graduate students’ research at UCI. She thoroughly enjoys helping prepare her students for both academic and professional careers. This includes connecting them with regional and national collaborators and industry partners, frequently taking them to con- struction sites, industry events, workshops and conferences. She is also engaged in voluntary teaching and mentoring activi- ties in engineering and general science at the municipal, state and regional levels. Why Geotechnical Engineering? Lemnitzer tells us, “To be honest, I did not choose a career in the area immediately. I always wanted to become a medical doctor, but the wait times for admission in Germany were super long back then. Since my parents own a structural engineering company, my next thought was to take over the company. I first applied for university admission in the field of architectural engineering. I failed my architecture entrance exam badly. I guess my definition of ‘creativity’ was truly not creative. I decided to study structural engineering instead. My undergrad and graduate degrees are in structural engineering; however, most of my Ph.D. research evolved toward soil-structure interaction. Hence, I became more and more involved with geotechnical topics and projects….I really started to like deep foundation engineering.” Career Influences As is often the case, mentors played a part in confirming her path. “During my doctoral studies and research, my mentors were my Ph.D. advisors. I was super lucky having two really great UCLA faculty members, Professor John Wallace and Professor Jonathan Steward, to coadvise me. After graduating, I can honestly say that my involvement with the 2010 DFI Annual Conference in Hollywood, Calif., changed my research direction and perspective. It became so much more practicality focused. I have met a lot of excellent colleagues and made really great friends, especially through DFI.”
