Civil Engineering Alumnus Chosen as Alumni Master

Dr. James O. Jirsa

Civil Engineering Alumnus Chosen as Alumni Master

Dr. James O. Jirsa, '60, spent a week on the Lincoln campus in December as one of four University of Nebraska-Lincoln alumni chosen for Masters' Week, hosted by the Nebraska Alumni Association.

Besides meeting with students, speaking to some classes, and attending a special Masters Week dinner, Jirsa also received several other honors. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the Department of Civil Engineering, as well as an honorary alumnus of Chi Upsilon.  As an undergraduate student, he was a founding member of UNL's chapter of the national civil engineering honor society.

A member of the National Academy of Engineering, Jirsa is a professor of civil engineering at the University of Texas-Austin, where he is a well-known expert in earthquake engineering and concrete structure reinforcement.  He has received numerous awards and honors, has authored more than 85 refereed archival journal articles and has had more than 75 conference proceedings.
In his 36th year at Texas, Jirsa teaches undergraduate and graduate classes and is involved in large-scale structural testing of buildings and bridges during and following earthquakes. Changes in new materials for higher strength concrete and steel, along with more efficient construction procedures, aid in the effort to create structures that withstand massive forces, Jirsa said. There are eight faculty at his research center, along with  approximately 80 students working on projects.  The center is actually an old magnesium factory about seven miles from the main campus, and still features a giant usable crane within the building.

Jirsa fondly remembers that his stint at Nebraska was before the Bob Devaney football era began. While football wasn't a main focus back then, he does recall Nebraska upsetting Oklahoma his junior year.