July/August 2022 - 77

Professor Cassandra Rutherford,
Energetic and Busy at Iowa State
As the adage goes, " when you want
something done ask a busy person. " By
all accounts Cassandra ( " Cassie " )
Rutherford, assistant professor of civil,
construction and environmental
engineering at Iowa State University,
certainly fits that definition to a " T " .
Rutherford received her B.S., M.S. and
Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering from
Texas A&M. She began her academic
teaching and researching career at the
University of Illinois, ChampaignUrbana
in 2011. In 2017, she joined the
faculty at Iowa State University. You will
find her engaged in any number of
undertakings including teaching
classes, advising graduate students,
managing a variety of research projects,
writing peer-reviewed papers and
participating in several professional
organizations. In this latter activity she
makes technical presentations, serves
on committees, reviews papers and
contributes her expertise as a conference
organizer. She is regularly invited
to be a guest lecturer at multiple
organization and academic venues.
Rutherford has been part of important
technical initiatives associated with
ASTM International, International
Society for Soi l Mechanics and
Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE),
American Society of Civil Engineers
(ASCE), Deep Foundations Institute (DFI)
and similar organizations.
A Career Takes Shape
Growing up in central Oklahoma and
later in Georgetown, Texas, a career in
civil engineering was not her early first
choice. While in high school she
thought that she would pursue a career
in the medical field, and at that time
she worked as a certified nursing
AUTHOR S. Scot Litke, Hon. D.GE
DEEP FOUNDATIONS * JULY/AUG 2022 * 77
assistant. As Rutherford puts it, " I soon
decided that medicine was not for me. "
Medicine's loss was geotechnical
engineering's gain.
At Texas A&M she came to realize
that civil engineering was where she
wanted to focus her energy. She took an
undergraduate soils class and found the
subject to be fascinating. Rutherford
says, " I really enjoyed the hands-on
aspects of the laboratory and working
in the field. " Her undergraduate and
master 's advisor was Jean-Louis
Briaud, an internationally renowned
geotechnical engineer. He is a past
president of both the Geo-Institute and
The Federation of International GeoEngineering
Societies. Briaud encouraged
her to pursue graduate studies. His
support was followed by that of her
Ph.D. advisor, Giovanna Biscontin, who
she credits with igniting her dual
passions for experimental soil testing
and pursuing excellence as a teacher.
While Rutherford had experience in the
private sector while working on her
Ph.D., she felt that her main calling was
to work with students, undertake
research and to advance the field of
geotechnical engineering. Her highly
successful career path certainly
provides wise testimony to this choice.
Teacher and Mentor
When it comes to the joy of teaching,
Rutherford says, " I love working with
students both in my lab and in the
classroom. It's exciting to share the
complexities of our field and the
importance of geotechnical engineering
in our society. "
She approaches each one of her
activities with a unique verve and
boundless energy. A colleague at Iowa
MEMBER PROF I LE
State, Vernon Schaefer, the James M.
Hoover Chair of Geotechnical Engineering
is well-known to DFI. He puts it this
way, " Cassie has been a great addition to
our geotechnical engineering faculty.
She is an enthusiastic teacher who
brings high energy to her animated
teaching style, which our undergraduate
students really enjoy. She is a great mentor
working hand-in-hand with students,
assembling equipment and trying
new devises for testing soils. " As an
aside, Schaefer mentions that her cupcake
and cookie-baking skills are put to
good use in support of the department's
annual United Way fundraising efforts.
Rutherford's passion for everything
she takes on is echoed by Scott Olson, a
previous colleague at the University of
Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Olson tells
us, " One word that comes to mind when
I think about Cassie is selflessness. As
long as I have known her, she has
always put her students and colleagues
first. At Illinois she had an open-doorpolicy
inviting students and colleagues
to drop by any time for technical advice
or a friendly chat. She was always
available to help out in the classroom,
the lab and even in helping prepare
research proposals. " Olson adds that he
always looks forward to seeing
Rutherford at industry conferences.
July/August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July/August 2022
