Ohio State honors two at autumn commencement

Two individuals will be honored at The Ohio State University’s autumn 2011 commencement for their contributions to society and academics, and their dedication to the university. Ceremonies begin at 2 p.m. Sunday (12/11), in the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
Cheryl L. Krueger, founder of Cheryl & Co., will deliver the commencement address as approximately 2,100 students receive degrees during the ceremony.
An honorary doctorate will be presented to Zdeněk P. Bažant, a world leader in solid mechanics research.
The Distinguished Service Award will be presented to Edgar W. Ingram III and Martha S. Ingram, who have worked to improve and enrich lives throughout central Ohio and beyond for many years.

Zdeněk P. Bažant, Doctor of Engineering

Dr. Zdeněk P. Bažant is the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Civil Engineer­ing and Materials Science and the McCormick Institute Professor at Northwestern University. He was the university’s founding director of the Center for Geomaterials from 1981 to 1987. A world leader in solid mechanics research, Dr. Bažant is most widely known for his discovery of the size-effect law, which determines the effects of the size of a quasi-brittle structure on its strength and modes of failure, important, e.g., for concrete, rocks, tough ceramics, fiber composites, and bone. He also has made substantial advances in structural stability, fracture mechanics, structural safety, durability, and moisture effects in concrete structures, and the micro- and nano-mechanics of structural damage and deformation.

The true measure of a successful engineering scientist is the extent to which his findings are applied to real engineering design problems. Dr. Bažant’s groundbreak­ing discoveries have found wide application in structural analysis of large concrete struc­tures. His work has been used in industry and government laboratories; in various commercial software for predicting structural failure; in checking the safety of composites in Boeing and Airbus aircrafts; in assessing automobile crashworthiness; in designing concrete nuclear containments, bridges, and tall buildings; in testing the pavement soundness by the Texas Department of Highways; and in terrorist attack simulations by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Dr. Bažant’s prolific work has resulted in more than 17,000 citations. He has published six books, edited 17 books, and presented 78 distinguished lectures. For his contributions to materials science, Dr. Bažant has received numerous honors and awards, including the Timoshenko, Nadai, and Warner Medals of the American Society for Mechanical Engineers; the von Karman, Newmark, and Biot Medals of the American Society of Civil Engineers; and the Prager Medal of the Society of Engineer­ing Science. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences; National Academy of Engineering; American Academy of Arts & Sciences; and the Italian, Austrian, Czech, and Spanish national academies.

Dr. Bažant was born and educated in Prague. He received his civil engineering degree from the Czech Technical University in 1960 and his PhD in engineering mechanics from the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences Prague in 1963.

Edgar W. Ingram III and Martha S. Ingram, Distinguished Service Award

Edgar W. (Bill) and Martha S. (Marci) Ingram have worked to improve and enrich lives throughout central Ohio and beyond for many years. The Ingrams’ extraordinary philanthropy, leadership, and record of volunteer engagement are legendary in Ohio, and are particularly evident on the campus of The Ohio State University. Their support for Ohio State, through the Ingram-White Castle Founda­tion, has greatly benefitted Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wexner Center for the Arts, WOSU, and the Chabad House, and has provided numer­ous scholarships for students. The Ingrams’ remarkable generosity is most apparent in their substantial support for the remodel­ing of the William Oxley Thompson Library, as well as the creation of the Chlois G. Ingram Spirit of Women Park at the Medical Center.

Bolstered by Mr. and Mrs. Ingram’s leadership, the Ingram family has become the public face for the needs of countless children affected by autism spectrum disorders. In 2008, Mrs. Ingram chaired the inaugural Columbus Autism Speaks Walk, held at Ohio State’s Jerome Schottenstein Center, and she has remained in a leader­ship role for this event. The annual walk has raised a combined total of nearly $3 million for the advancement of autism research.

In January 2011, Mr. and Mrs. Ingram announced a gift to Ohio State and Nationwide Children’s Hospital to establish the Ingram Comprehensive Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders in support
of collaborative autism research.

Mr. Ingram is president and chief executive officer of White Castle System, Inc., and a trustee and president of the Ingram-White Castle Foundation. He is the third generation of his family to assume leadership of the business his grandfather founded in 1921. He previously served as a member, and later chair, of the governing committee of the Columbus Foundation and currently serves on the boards of directors for The Ohio State University Foundation, the James Foundation, and Bob Evans Farms, Inc. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration at Bowling Green State University in 1972.

For the past two decades, Mrs. Ingram has served on a variety of boards to support the arts, health care, and the Columbus community, including Nationwide Chil­dren’s Hospital, Grant Riverside Hospital, the Center of Science and Industry, and Columbus BalletMet. She earned her bachelor’s degree in human relations from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1974.