J. Michael Duncan of Blacksburg, Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, was conferred the title, " Distinguished Professor Emeritus" by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors during the board's quarterly meeting June 4.

The title of emeritus may be conferred on retired professors and associate professors, administrative officers, librarians, and exceptional staff members who have given exemplary service to the university and who are specially recommended to the board of visitors by Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board of visitors receive an emeritus certificate from the university.

A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1964, Duncan has made substantial contributions to the disciple of geotechnical engineering through his work in areas of soil shear strength and slope stability, seepage through soils, embankment dam engineering, and finite element analysis methods for soil structures. He has been a consultant on several major geotechnical projects such as the Panama Canal and the levee and flood-control structure failures associated with Hurricane Katrina.

For his work, Duncan has received several prominent awards including his election to the National Academic of Engineering. He is honorary member o the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Duncan received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Georgia Tech, and his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.

The College of Engineering at Virginia Tech is internationally recognized for its excellence in 14 engineering disciplines and computer science. The college's 5,500 undergraduates benefit from an innovative curriculum that provides a "hands-on, minds-on" approach to engineering education, complementing classroom instruction with two unique design-and-build facilities and a strong Cooperative Education Program. With more than 50 research centers and numerous laboratories, the college offers its 1,800 graduate students opportunities in advanced fields of study such as biomedical engineering, state-of-the-art microelectronics, and nanotechnology. Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.

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