The Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) (University Park, Pennsylvania) has selected Vincent F. Hock Jr., FNACE, as the recipient of the 2016 GEMS Alumni Achievement Award for his influential work in protecting U.S. waters and infrastructure.
Hock was recognized on September 30 at the college’s annual Obelisk Society dinner.
The award is given annually by the school’s GEMS (Graduates of Earth and Mineral Sciences) alumni society to recognize outstanding achievement by alumni. All EMS alumni are eligible to receive it.
Hock is senior scientist and technical adviser in Champaign, Illinois, with the materials and structures branch of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineering Research Development Center (ERDC), and Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL). After retiring in 2010, Hock was asked to return to work as a senior technical research advisor and mentor to young investigators.
“Being selected as the recipient in recognition for my many years of service to the Corps of Engineers, Army, DoD [Department of Defense], and the nation is one of most important accomplishments,” Hock says.
During his career, Hock developed innovative solutions for corrosion prevention and control and integrated security water systems for the DoD (Arlington, Virginia). He also developed aquatic nuisance control for Asian carp, an invasive fish species, for the USACE’s Chicago District (Chicago, Illinois), and he provided consulting services to the U.S. Justice Department (Washington, DC) and U.S. State Department (Washington, DC).
“Hock is widely recognized within the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army, and the Engineer Research and Development Center as the primary driver and innovator for developing not one but two novel materials and engineering systems: the Corrosion Prevention and Control Program for the military and civil works infrastructure and the Integrated Water System Security Program,” says Ilker Adiguzel, director of the CERL.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, officials at The Pentagon (Arlington, Virginia) enlisted Hock to lead the development of safe and secure potable water systems worldwide. Hock developed dynamic modeling and simulation tools and counter-terrorism measures for mitigating chemical and biological threats to the water supply. Based on this research, he was invited to brief the national governments of Australia and the United Kingdom on water security.
Hock’s research has yielded seven patents—with three more near the final approval stages—producing practical methods of controlling water intrusion in challenging conditions, Penn State says. The technology he developed has been used to protect historic buildings, parking garages, military munitions storage facilities, and locks and dams.
Hock has recently performed a number of corrosion-related failure analyses, including the corrosion of hydronic heating and cooling water systems for the U.S. State Department and the corrosion of aluminum bulkheads in the Ohio River.
Hock has authored or co-authored more than 190 publications and received numerous research awards, including from NACE. He currently is a member of NACE, the American Water Works Association (Denver, Colorado), and the Society of American Military Engineers (Alexandria, Virginia). He is also a distinguished veteran of the U.S. Army (Arlington, Virginia), having served two tours in Vietnam.
Hock earned his master’s degree in metallurgy, with honors, from Penn State in 1978.