Person

Stevens, Leonard Kelman (Len) (1925 - 2018)

AM FTSE HonFIEAust

Born
1 July 1925
Frankston, Victoria, Australia
Died
17 August 2018
Occupation
Civil engineer and University Administrator

Summary

Len Stevens was a civil engineer noted for his wide-ranging influence on structural engineering in Australia. He joined the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Melbourne in 1955, only ceasing his association with the University in teaching, research and consulting in 2018. During that time he was Professor of Civil Engineering for 1968 to 1990 and held senior roles in University administration. His early research interests were in steel plastic design and pre-stressed concrete. Stevens was heavily involved in the development of structural standards and of design materials. He also participated in assessment of the engineering design of major Australian National University buildings, and in inquiries such as that into the collapse during construction of the Westgate Bridge in Melbourne.

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Details

The Len Stevens Scholarship, named in his honour, was established in perpetuity through an Appeal celebrating 150 years of engineering education at the University of Melbourne in 2011.

Chronology

1943 - 1946
Military service - Second World War. Flight Officer, Royal Australian Air Force
1950
Career event - Student Member (StudIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
1950
Education - Bachelor of Civil Engineering (BCE), University of Melbourne
1951 - 1952
Career position - Assistant Designer, Johns and Waygood
1954
Education - Master of Engineering Science (MEngSc), University of Melbourne
1955
Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Cambridge
1955 - 1968
Career position - Lecturer (later Reader) in Civil Engineering, University of Melbourne
1958
Career event - Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
1968
Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia [Former Associate Members were designated Members on this date.]
1968 - 1990
Career position - Professor of Engineering (personal chair), University of Melbourne
1970 - 1977
Career position - Head, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Melbourne
1976 - 1981
Career position - Member, National Capital Planning Commission
1979 - 1980
Career position - Engineer Assessor, New Parliament House Competition, Canberra
1979 - 1987
Career position - Dean, Faculty of Engineering, University of Melbourne
1981
Career position - Pro Vice-Chancellor, University of Melbourne
1982
Career event - Established the Melbourne University Engineering Foundation
1984 - 1987
Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences (FTS)
1987
Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE) [Awarded by AATS 1984]
1988 - 1990
Career position - Head, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Melbourne
1990
Award - R. W. Chapman Medal, Institution of Engineers, Australia
1995
Award - R. W. Chapman Medal, Institution of Engineers, Australia
1996 - 1999
Career position - Chair, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Technical Group 1
1997
Award - Honorary Fellow (HonFIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
2001
Award - Centenary Medal - for service to Australian society in civil and transport engineering
2002
Award - Doctor of Engineering (DEng), honoris causa, University of Melbourne
2005
Award - Member of the Order of Australia (AM) - For service to civil engineering, particularly through the theory and practice of structural engineering, and to tertiary education as an educator and administrator
2011
Life event - The Len Stevens Scholarship, University of Melbourne, was named in his honour.

Related Corporate Bodies

Published resources

Journal Articles

  • 'Institution News and Notes - Prizes [1965: R. W. Chapman Medal; Warren Memorial Prize; Electrical Engineering Prize; Mechanical Engineering Prize; The Institution Awards. 1966: Edward Noyes Prize; J. R. Bainton Prize; R. J. N. Franki Medal]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 39 (1-2) (1967), N20-N21. 'The Institution Award (1965) - to Dr L C Schmidt, BCE MEngSc PhD AMIEAust, and Dr L K Stevens, BCE MEngSc PhD AMIEAust, for their paper "Elastic Critical Loads of Laterally Braced Trusses", Civil Engineering Transactions, Oct 1965'. Details
  • Anon, 'Leonard "Len" Kelman Stevens AM FTSE: engineer helped create iconic Australian structures', Impact: magazine of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, 209 (2019), 66, https://www.atse.org.au/what-we-do/strategic-advice/impact-209/. Details
  • Francis, A. J.; and Stevens, L. K., 'Struts ln Triangulated Frames', Civil Engineering Transactions, 3 (1961), 1. Details
  • Institution of Engineers Australia, 'Fine achievements recognised [IEAust Colleges]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 62 (24) (1990), 33-34. 'Civil College - The R W Chapman Medal 1989 winner was the paper titled "Full-scale testing of a 30m span Strarch industrial building", authored by P Key, senior research engineer, Strarch International Ltd; and Melbourne University staff members D S Mansell, reader in civil engineering; P R Morgan, senior lecturer in civil engineering; and L K Stevens professor of civil engineering', p.33. Details
  • Wilson, John and Gad, Emad, 'Preface: Professor Emeritus Leonard (Len) Kelman Stevens AM 1925 - 2018', Australian journal of structural engineering, 19 (4) (2018), 246-7. https://doi.org/10.1080/13287982.2018.1545425. Details

Reports

  • Institution of Engineers Australia, Forty-seventh Annual Report [1966] (1967), 18 pp. 'The Institution Award (1965 Awards) to: Dr L C Schmidt, BCE MEngSc PhD AMIEAust, and Dr L K Stevens, BCE MEngSc PhD AMIEAust, for their paper entitled "Elastic Critical Loads of Laterally Braced Trusses"', p.3. Details

Resources

See also

  • Who's who in Australia 2012 (Melbourne: Crown Content Pty Ltd, 2012), 2430 pp. Details

Helen Cohn; Ken McInnes

Created: 21 January 2020, Last modified: 15 March 2023

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