AISI Announces Recipient of Inaugural Alexander Wilson Memorial Award

Photo: Dean Krouse (left) accepts the first Alexander D. Wilson Memorial Award from John Kross (right). Photo by Sougata Roy.

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Steel Bridge Task Force (BTF) has established a new award to honor Alexander D. Wilson, a major contributor to the research and development of new technologies for the bridge industry who served as chairman of the Steel Bridge Task Force for more than two decades.

The Alexander D. Wilson Memorial Award recognizes individuals who have made significant industry contributions to advance steel as the material of choice for steel bridge supply, production, design, fabrication or construction. It will be awarded annually.

As chairman of the Steel Bridge Task Force, Alex Wilson presided over a group representing the top steel bridge design experts in the United States.

Dean Krouse is First Recipient of Wilson Award

The first award was presented to metallurgical consultant Dean C. Krouse at a meeting of the Steel Bridge Task Force on August 10 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. John Kross, manager, product metallurgy for Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and current member of the BTF Oversight Council, presented Dean Krouse with the award, which reads:

“In recognition of his significant industry contributions to advance steel as the material of choice for bridges by guiding and maintaining the ASTM & AASHTO steel material specifications, introducing High-Performance Steel grades, providing metallurgical consulting, and technical committee participation which have contributed substantially to the advancement of steel bridges.” 

The Alex Wilson award was presented to Dean C. Krouse (left) at a meeting of the Steel Bridge Task Force by John Kross (right), manager, product metallurgy for Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. and current member of the BTF Oversight Council.

Krouse Embodies Spirit of Award

“We are honored to establish this award in memory of Alex Wilson and in recognition of the many contributions he made over the years to advance steel as the material of choice in the bridge industry,” said Robert J. Wills, P.E., AISI’s vice president of construction.

“His technical contributions, leadership and guidance have significantly impacted the members and mission of the Steel Bridge Task Group. We are especially honored to present the first Alexander D. Wilson Memorial Award to Dean Krouse, a colleague and friend to Alex and his family. Dean embodies the spirit of this award with his many significant industry contributions to advance steel as the material of choice for steel bridge supply, design, and production. Congratulations to Dean on this well-deserved recognition.”

Wills continued, “Alex had a vision for recognizing and mentoring the next generation of talent for innovative steel bridge research. He oversaw the establishment of the Robert J. Dexter Memorial Award Lecture, which provides promising structural engineers beginning their careers in academia with a platform to present their research and new ideas. It is fitting that during the recent BTF meeting, the 2022 Robert J. Dexter Memorial Award Lecture winner, William Collins, Ph.D., P.E., associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Engineering, presented his research findings to BTF members on ‘Fracture Toughness in Highway Bridges: Potential Opportunities and Ongoing Challenges.’ We look forward to Will’s future contributions to advancements made by the Steel Bridge Task Force.”

Dr. William Collins (right), University of Kansas School of Engineering, was presented with the Robert J. Dexter Memorial Award Lecture by Dr. Robert Connor (left) ,Jack and Kay Hockema Professor in Civil Engineering and Director of CAI and S-BRITE, Purdue University.

About Alex Wilson

As chairman of the Steel Bridge Task Force, Alex presided over a group representing the top steel bridge design experts in the United States. As manager of customer technical services for ArcelorMittal USA, he developed and tested new technologies for the bridge industry, including weathering and High-Performance Steels, both of which provide cost-effective and durable alternatives to competing materials and are widely used in bridge construction today. He conducted research on fracture mechanic evaluations, consulted on steel plate development, published 65 technical papers, and shaped the advancement of new steel bridge material specifications. Looking to the next generation of talent, he oversaw the establishment of AISI’s Robert J. Dexter Memorial Award Lecture.

In this photo taken in 2006, Dean Krouse (center) received the Richard S. Fountain Award from Ed Wasserman (left) and Alex Wilson (right) to recognize leadership in steel bridge research and outstanding efforts to advance AASHTO specifications.

About Dean Krouse

Dean Krouse retired from Bethlehem Steel Corporation in 1999 after 35 years of service. He has continued to provide expertise on a number of projects as an independent consultant, most notably with regard to structural steel products. Many of his accomplishments have focused on metallurgical consulting, litigation and participation on technical committees established by the steel-producing and construction industries. Most recently, his work was instrumental in maintaining the ASTM and AASHTO steel material specifications; introducing High-Performance Steel grades; and influencing ASTM to officially recognize 50CR, a utility-grade stainless steel, in a revision to ASTM A709, Standard Specification for Structural Steel for Bridges.

In addition to the Steel Bridge Task Force, Dean Krouse has served on several AISI technical committees, including the Corrosion Advisory Group, Welding Advisory Group, Technical Committee on Plates and Shapes, High-Performance Steel Steering Group and the Steel Advisory Group. He has also served on several American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and ASTM technical committees.

About Steel Bridge Task Force

The Steel Bridge Task Force was formed more than 40 years ago to coordinate research that establishes safe, cost-effective steel bridges and to implement these developments into steel specifications, specifically the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) design codes. Its members include the American Iron and Steel Institute, National Steel Bridge Alliance, AASHTO T-14 Technical Committee for Structural Steel Design, steel producers, steel organizations, steel bridge fabricators, bridge owners, university faculty, consultants and representatives from the Federal Highway Administration.