Dr. Jorj O. Osterberg (1915-2008)

 We are sad to announce the passing of Dr. Jorj Osterberg, a long-time Honorary ADSC Technical Affiliate Member. Dr. Jorj Osterberg passed away peacefully in his sleep on June 1st 2008.

Dr. Osterberg is one of the true pioneers of geotechnical engineering. He has long been recognized for innovations in soil sampling and testing. He is best known as the inventor of the "O-Cell". This load test devise has radically changed the way deep foundation load tests are designed, performed andinterpreted.

The final pre-project design use has resulted in more efficient drilled shafts and in vast savings for project owners throughout the world.

Dr. Osterberg was one of the first engineer-presenters at the ADSC Drilled Shaft Design and Construction Seminars. He was the co-keynote speaker at the ADSC's 1987 and 2000 Civil Engineering Faculty Workshops.

Following a long and distinguished career as a teacher and consultant, Dr. Osterberg was Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering at Northwestern University. Other honors and associations include: Honorary Member - American Society of Civil Engineers; Member - National Academy of Engineering; 1985 Terzaghi Lecturer (ASCE); 1988 Distinguished Service Award - Deep Foundations Institute; and the Royal Swedish Medal. The "O-Cell" won Dr. Osterberg the NOVA Award in 1994, sometimes called the "Nobel Prize" for construction.

Dr. Osterberg was 93 years old at the time of his passing. A detailed account of his amazing professional career will appear in Foundation Drilling Magazine.

Note: Above e-mail was sent to Geotech-Jiscmail mailing list by ADSC (The International Association of Foundation Drilling).