Alumni Profile
 W. Allen Marr

Civil Engineering '70

Archimedes, the great mathematician and engineer, once claimed that given "a place to stand and a lever, I will move the whole world." While rather more circumspect about his earth-moving capabilities, geotechnical engineer Allen Marr has worked on some of the biggest earthworks in the world, including the Big Dig in Boston. He specializes in the design and construction of such huge projects, often transecting already established busy human environments where safety and efficiency are particularly important.

Marr has been able to monitor and make improvements on active construction sites, having developed techniques for monitoring the stability, movement and pressure in earthworks projects using sensors, wireless communications, automated analysis and visualization of data. He has used projects like the new World Trade Center construction and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. as his natural laboratories, developing new technology that will benefit future projects for many years to come. Marr has worked to develop national standards in testing, monitoring and analysis.

Recently awarded the College of Engineering Distinguished Engineering Alumni Medal, Marr earned his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering at UC Davis and went on to earn his master's and doctor's degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.