Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering

Carl E. Ekberg, Jr., 86, died May 30 in Ames, Iowa. Ekberg was a professor and department head for the CCEE department from 1959 to 1985. He retired from his teaching and research capacity at Iowa State University in 1988.

“Carl Ekberg kept our department moving forward and kept a great perspective in working through concerns and difficult decisions and debates,” says Max Porter, professor of structural engineering. “He helped foster student organizations in their activities and helped a lot of young faculty get started.”

At Iowa State, Ekberg’s research activities focused on the improvement of design criteria for structural concrete. In particular, he participated in the development of design criteria for concrete floors reinforced with cold-formed steel decking.

Ekberg, who received his bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees from the University of Minnesota, was a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and an honorary member of the American Concrete Institute. He held life memberships in the American Railway Engineering Association, the American Society of Engineering Education, the Iowa Engineering Society, the Osborn Research Club, and the University of Minnesota M-Club. Ekberg also was a registered professional engineer. He was a member of Chi Epsilon, Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi, and Tau Beta Pi honor societies.

Memorial contributions may be directed to Collegiate Presbyterian Church or to the Carl and Dorothy Ekberg Structural Engineering Scholarship Fund in care of the ISU Foundation.