Newswise — ROLLA, Mo. _ Dr. Islam El-adaway, an associate professor and coordinator of the University of Tennessee’s construction engineering and management program, has been named the Hurst/McCarthy Professor in Construction Engineering Management at Missouri University of Science and Technology. His appointment begins Aug. 1.
The professorship was established through a combined $1 million gift from alumnus Michael Hurst and his wife, Barbara, along with McCarthy Building Companies, where Hurst worked for more than three decades before his retirement. Hurst earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from S&T in 1974.
“Bringing in Dr. El-adaway is a great boost for our construction engineering and management programs,” says Dr. Joel Burken, professor and chair of S&T’s civil, architectural and environmental engineering department. “Construction is one of our most popular specialties among both students and employers. With Islam joining our team, we’re now able to greatly increase our efforts in those disciplines, thanks to the generous support from the Hursts and McCarthy.”
El-adaway’s research interests include sustainable infrastructure and hazard management, modeling and simulation for construction, decision and risk management, and contractual and legal affairs in construction. He has written or co-written more than 90 peer-reviewed publications and been recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the National Academy of Engineering. El-adaway is a fellow of both ASCE and the Institution of Civil Engineers, as well as licensed professional engineer and chartered civil engineer, and has received multiple teaching and research awards.
“I am humbled and honored to be offered such a prestigious position at Missouri S&T,” he says. “Since my campus visit, I’ve had an opportunity to experience the explicit respect and passion that the Missouri construction industry has for both my new department and S&T as a whole. I am extremely thankful for the kind, reliable and consistent support of Mike Hurst and the McCarthy Building Companies. “
“I’m excited to build on the bold strategic visions that were shared with me by Dr. Burken and other campus leaders,” he adds. “My plan is to utilize the already existing ties with key construction companies and institutions in Columbia, Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield and the rest of the state towards developing more comprehensive partnerships.”
El-adaway earned bachelor of science and master of science degrees in construction engineering from the American University in Cairo and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Iowa State University. He previously was the Richard A. Rula Endowed Professor of Construction Engineering and Management at Mississippi State University.
“Our vision when we established this endowment was to select an accomplished professional who would have an impact on S&T students, the university and the broader construction industry,” Hurst says. “Dr. El-adaway is an outstanding teacher and distinguished researcher who will be able to further strengthen industry ties on campus.”
Founded as a family business in 1864, McCarthy is one of the oldest privately held construction firms in the nation. The firm is 100 percent employee-owned and provides construction management, design/build and general contracting services nationwide.
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For release: Thursday, July 20, 2018
Contact: Alan Scher Zagier, [email protected], 573-356-7917
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