The EERI Oral History Series Reflection - Assignment Example

Egor P. Popov Lecturer Egar Popov’s story highlights his major achievements as a civil engineer. Various aspects of his career have greatly been influenced by his personality. First, Egar was an ethuthiastic and passionate individual who loved what he did. Throughout his life and career, Egar’s enthusiasm for engineering and academics in general is evident. Edgar’s passion for engineering made him to be one of the pioneers of the civil engineering department at U.C. Berkeley. In fact, it was under Egor that the first student, Mihran Agbabian, earned a Ph.D. in structures at U.C. Berkeley.

He convinced the civil engineering chairman at the time to allow for the advanced degree; “Isn’t it about time that we should start awarding Ph.D.s?”1. In addition to teaching, Egor enthusiasm for engineering led him to work in various exciting positions as an engineer, including E.F. Rudolph, Martin Pohl, Bill Mellema and Southwest Portland Cement Company. Furthermore, as a researcher, Egor took thirty years to pursue the subject of seismic design which was not known to many. As he puts it; “I undertook an extensive exploration of this difficult problem”2.

Secondly, Egor was highly adaptable. This trait is well brought out during his early years as a child. Having been born in Russia, Egor had to endure harsh conditions as a child, partly brought about by the war in Russia. For instance, he and the family had to live on the Hospital Train where his father worked. As he says, they were there for “two-and-a-half years.” Egor had to live in other places including Hailar, Pogranichnyy, and Harbin before settling in San Fansciso. As a practicing engineer, his ability to adapt to new environments and challenges was put to the test.

He worked in various firms in various capacities. Each of these positions brought with them their own unique set of challenges. He worked in more than ten firms as an engineer holding various positions. For example, while working at Bill Mellema in Los Angeles as a seismic designer, Egor was involved in a number of designs and analyses. He notes that work “varied in complexity; some was in steel, and some in reinforced concrete”3. Furthermore, his ability to adapt to new and challenging environments played an important role in his teaching and research career.

For instance, in his early career in teaching at Berkeley, Egor was required to teach three courses to classes some with an enrolment of more than 100 students. He however managed to adapt to this challenge, and even at some point memorizing the names of all his students. Finally, Egor can be characterized as a stubborn person. This is a character he admits to when he recollects his life as a freshman in campus. He says that all other freshmen were required to wear beanies, he defied this rule.

As he admits; “I am somewhat stubborn”4. Although this is generally a negative trait, Egor used it to advance his professional life. For instance, while at Caltech, he approached Professor Martel for his Ph.D. in engineering but was denied the chance and instead told to pursue one in mathematics. Out of his ‘stubbornness’, he left Caltech and started to practice engineering. This character enabled him to gain exposure in various engineering fields before furthering his studies in engineering and later becoming a professor.

BibliographyPopov, Egor. 2001. The EERI Oral History Series: Egor P. Popov. Interview by Stanley Scott. Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Oakland, CA.