This fund was established in 2007 by John H. Schmertmann to support the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering’s American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student chapter’s geotechnical entries into competitions with other university chapters

John H. Schmertmann earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1950, and a master’s degree in 1954 and doctorate in 1962, both from Northwestern University. He is a Professor Emeritus of civil and coastal engineering at the University of Florida. In 1970, he proposed a new procedure for estimating settlement of shallow foundations on granular soils. He is one of the world’s best-known geotechnical experts. John is the recipient of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) State of the Art in Civil Engineering Award, Middlebrooks Award, Collingwood Prize, Norman Medal, and Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also been recognized as an ASCE “Hero” and in 2008 they published a book in his honor. He was elected in 1984 to the National Academy of Engineering.

John and his wife, Pauline, have four children, Carl, Gary, Neil and Joy.