Robert Smilowitz CE'71

Robert Smilowitz

Thornton Tomasetti Senior Principal Robert Smilowitz is the latest recipient of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Ernest E. Howard Award. The award recognizes an ASCE member for their contributions in advancing the field of structural engineering. A leader in the firm’s Protective Design and Security practice, Bob is a recognized expert in blast-resistant analysis and design. Over the course of his 42-year career, he has been involved in the design of numerous government facilities, including U.S. embassies, federal and state courthouses and office buildings, as well as air terminals, financial institutions, hospitals and a NATO Command Center. He also served as the principal blast engineer for redevelopment of the former World Trade Center site, including Freedom Tower and the World Trade Center Memorial and Museum. Bob was honored by the organization for his “international leadership in protecting lives from acts of terrorism through structural design and public policy and for teaching protective design to the next generation of engineers.”

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.