A. S. Arya | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 June 1931 |
| Died | 1 Sept 2019 Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh |
| Resting place | New Delhi |
| Alma mater | University of Roorkee University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign |
| Occupation | Structural Engineer |
| Years active | Since 1961 |
| Known for | Earthquake engineering Disaster management |
| Awards | Padma Shri Khosla National Award ISET Jai Krishna Award FICCI Award IE (I) National Design Award United Nations Sasakawa Disaster Prevention Award Disaster Mitigation Award |
Anand Swarup Arya (1931-2019) was an Indianstructural engineer, known for his expertise in the soil and foundation engineering and earthquakedisaster management.[1] He is a former chairman of theBureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Committee on Earthquake Engineering and a recipient of theUnited Nations Sasakawa Disaster Prevention Award of 1997. TheGovernment of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of thePadma Shri in 2002.[2]
Building_IIT-Roorkee.JPG)
Arya was born in a smallUttar Pradesh village ofAmbehta inSaharanpur district on 13 June 1931 and secured his graduate degree (BE) in civil engineering and master's degree (ME) in Structural engineering (1954) fromUniversity of Roorkee (present-dayIndian Institute of Technology, Roorkee). Joining theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1959, he secured a doctoral degree in 1961.[3] He started his career as a member of faculty at the University of Roorkee where he served for 36 years till his superannuation 1989.[4] During his career, he rose in ranks to become a professor and the head of the department of Earthquake Engineering and finally, the Pro-vice chancellor of the university. After his retirement, he was made the Emeritus Professor of the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee.[4]
As the head of the faculty of Earthquake engineering at IIT Roorkee, Arya started many courses in the subject at the institution as well as other institutions in India and founded an interdisciplinary Department of Earthquake Engineering in the IIT.[3] His contributions are reported in the development of new methods and structural designs suited for small and larger buildings, bridges, reservoirs and atomic power plants. He has conducted training classes in structural designing in India as well as other countries such as Yugoslavia, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Afghanistan and Nepal.[4]
Arya is one of the founders of the Indian Society of Earthquake Technology, along with the renowned engineer,Jai Krishna.[4] He has guided 71 research scholars in their master's and doctoral studies.[3] He has served as the director of the International Association of Earthquake Engineering during 1977-80 and 1980–84 and has been a consultant to United Nations agencies such asUNESCO,United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNCHS) and United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) as well as theWorld Bank.[5] He is a former chairman of theCommittee on CED 39 on Earthquake Engineering Codes of theBureau of Indian Standards and a sitting member of the Bihar State Disaster Management Authority (BSDMA).[6] He has been National Seismic Advisor of theUnited Nations Development Program (UNDP) sponsored Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction Programme and headed the National Seismic Zoning Committee.[7] Arya has published three books,Guidelines for Earthquake Resistant Non-engineered Construction,[8]Masonry & Timber Structures Including Earthquake Resistant Design[9] andEarthquake Disaster Reduction: Masonry Building, Design, and Construction[10] on structural design and earthquake-resistant construction techniques. He is also the founder ofAnand Swaroop Arya Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Roorkee school. In this school, he wants the students to gain knowledge of Indian culture and sacraments. He has also co-authoredDesign of Steel Structures along with J. L. Ajmani[11] andResponse of Arches Under Earthquake Excitation with S. K. Thakkar.[12]
Arya is an elected Fellow of theIndian National Academy of Engineering (INAE)[13] and theInstitution of Engineers (India).[4] TheIndian Institute of Technology, Roorkee awarded him the annual research award,Khosla National Award, in 1980 and he received theJai Krishna Award of the Indian Society of Earthquake Technology in 1982.[4] TheFICCI award of theFederation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry reached him in 1986, followed by theNational Design Award of theInstitution of Engineers (India), the next year.[5] TheUnited Nations honoured him with theSasakawa Disaster Prevention Award in 1997.[14] The Government of India included him in the 2002Republic Day honours list for the civilian award of thePadma Shri.[2] TheNational Institute of Disaster Management, an autonomous body under theMinistry of Home Affairs, awarded him theDisaster Mitigation Award in 2006.[4]
