Bentley Systems Recognizes Dr. Earl Mark as Educator of the Year

EXTON, Pa. – At the Be Inspired Awards ceremony last week in Charlotte, N.C., Bentley Systems, Incorporated recognized professor Earl Mark, Ph.D., as this year’s recipient of the Be Inspired Educator of the Year Award. Dr. Mark is associate professor, director of information technology, and chief technology officer within the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia.

In presenting the award to Dr. Mark, Laura Meier, academic director of Bentley’s Be Careers Network, said, “We all acknowledge that a global pool of infrastructure professionals armed with effective knowledge and tools is essential to meeting basic human needs everywhere. They provide the know-how to design, build, and operate the infrastructure needed to sustain both people and the environment.

“The Educator of the Year is an individual who best illustrates innovation in attracting students to the sciences and, ultimately, infrastructure engineering. Tonight, we recognize Dr. Earl Mark for his exemplary accomplishments in fostering the next generation of infrastructure professionals.”

For almost 25 years, Dr. Mark’s inspirational courses have attracted 100 to 150 students annually. A high percentage of them have gone on to professional practice or academic careers in architecture, and many have won design competitions using techniques learned in his courses.

Behind Dr. Mark’s success at helping replenish the pool of infrastructure professionals is his commitment to being a teacher who continually reinvents himself to keep up with changing times, methods, attitudes, and aptitudes of each passing generation of students. This commitment is reflected in his consistent incorporation of innovative information modeling tools and techniques in his classroom lectures and projects. At SmartGeometry 2009 earlier this year, Dr. Mark presented design studio work completed by his students using GenerativeComponents, Bentley’s generative design software. The work explored transformable tension membrane fabric architecture with a light ecological footprint.

Commenting on his recent recognition, Dr. Mark said, “I am honored to receive this prestigious award and am so pleased that others share my enthusiasm for encouraging young people to pursue studies leading to careers in the infrastructure professions. My greatest satisfaction as a professor is the interaction I have with students, the continual inspiration I draw from their work and successes, and the opportunity it affords me to observe them transition from individuals with raw talent to productive professionals within their fields.”

Dr. Mark enriches his academic work by also pursuing private architectural practice. He is currently affiliated with Johnson, Craven & Gibson Architects of Charlottesville, Va. His academic credentials include advanced degrees from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.