This award was established by the Engineering Mechanics and Structural Institutes to honor Nathan M. Newmark for his outstanding contributions in structural engineering and mechanics. The funds for the award were contributed by the honoree’s former students in appreciation of the quality of education they received under this guidance at the University of Illinois. The medal was officially instituted by action of the Board of Direction on November 1-2, 1975.

The award may be made to a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers who, through contributions in structural mechanics, has helped substantially to strengthen the scientific base of structural engineering, these contributions having been made in the form of papers or other written presentations. The field of structural mechanics should be interpreted broadly and should include continuum mechanics related to structural and geotechnical engineering.

The award consists of a gold medal. If the award is presented for a joint effort, the lead recipient shall receive the medal. Award recipients who are not the lead recipient shall receive only a certificate.

Professor J.N. Reddy received the Nathan M. Newmark Medal in 1998 for “his contributions in the field of computational mechanics, including finite element analysis and analysis of composite materials. In addition, he made noteworthy contributions to computational fluid mechanics.”