The award is bestowed upon a first-year graduate student in Geotechnical Engineering who has distinguished himself with academic excellence and creativity in research, or exceptional leadership.

The Richard D. Woods Award is named after the researcher and educator, whose contributions to the development of soil dynamics and geophysical methods have long-lasting impact on the practice of civil engineering, and who has been educating students at the University of Michigan since the 1960s.

Previous award recipients can be found here.