Vernon Matzen, a CCEE emeritus professor, passed away on Dec. 7, 2023, at the age of 80. Earning his bachelor of science in civil engineering at University of Colorado Boulder, his master of science in civil engineering from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in structural engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, he went on to join the CCEE faculty in 1977. At NC State he spent 13 years as director of the Center for Nuclear Power Plant Structures, Equipment and Piping and seven years as assistant department head and director of Graduate Programs. He was also involved in the International Association of Structural Mechanics in Reactor Technology (IASMiRT), an organization dedicated to safety in nuclear power reactors.

Matzen’s research and professional interests are in the areas of piping behavior and design, rocking and sliding of unanchored structures and internet-based control and observation of laboratory experiments. He is an Alumni Distinguished Professor of Undergraduate Education. He retired from NC State in 2014. Matzen loved teaching and devoted much of his life to CCEE, the university and IASMiRT.