2-6-20, Yaesu, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0028 Japan
Tel +81-(0)3-3274-5125 Fax +81-(0)3-3274-5103 http://www.hondafoundation.jp/en/

PRESS RELEASE
September 26, 2013

Dr. J. Tinsley Oden, Director of the Institute for Computational
Engineering and Sciences (ICES) at The University of Texas at Austin,
Receives Honda Prize 2013 for Contributions in Computational Mechanics
The Honda Foundation, a public-interest incorporated foundation created by Honda Motor’sfounder Soichiro Honda and his younger brother Benjiro Honda and currently headed byHiroto Ishida, is pleased to announce that the Honda Prize 2013*1 will be awarded to Dr. J.
Tinsley Oden for his role in establishing the field of computational mechanics. The field has
enabled the development of computer simulation technology used across industry andresearch today. Dr. Oden is the Director of the Institute for Computational Engineering andSciences (ICES) and the Associate Vice President for Research at The University of Texas atAustin. He is the 34th laureate of the Honda Prize.
Dr. Oden is widely credited with the early development of computational mechanics, a new
discipline that integrates mathematics, computer science, physics and applied mathematics tosolve problems in science and engineering. He has contributed to the development ofcomputational methods for analyzing non-linear phenomena in continuum mechanics, and is arecognized expert in the finite element method, a broad and powerful mathematical andcomputational methodology. He is also noted for developing mathematical estimates of errors
in computer simulations, and ways to systematically reduce and control such error. Today,these subjects form the foundation of computational engineering and science, a discipline
impacting science, medicine and engineering, with applications including manufacturing,disaster prevention, drug design, surgery, and climate and weather prediction.
Dr. Oden’s early work led to the creation of the International Association for Computational
Mechanics (IACM), an international federation of over 30 other scientific organizations
dedicated to computational mechanics, including the Japan Society for Computational
Engineering and Sciences (JSCES), and the Japan Association for Computational Mechanics(JACM).
Dr. Oden is the director of the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, aleading research center at The University of Texas at Austin in the United States of America.
The work of Dr. Oden and his colleagues at the institute has significantly advanced several
key areas of science and technology, including manufacturing, where optimization of themanufacturing process has helped reduce cost and time to market while also emphasizing
product quality and safety. Similar computer simulations developed at the institute are used in
medicine and biology, and are paving the way for patient-specific therapies for cardiovascularsurgery, artificial heart valves and stent design, cancer treatment and drug design. In addition,
the institute is also involved in modeling climate change, energy systems, new materials andimproved transportation systems.
-1-Dr. Oden’s most recent work focuses on the theory and development of “multiscale” models
that bridge the influence of events at many scales, from that of atoms and electrons tofull-scale systems, such as machines, aircrafts and automobiles. He is also a leader in“predictive science,” in which uncertainty in observational data and model parameters is
estimated using mathematical statistics and used to determine the accuracy of computationalpredications.
Dr. Oden refers to computational science as the “third pillar” of scientific inquiry, standing
beside theoretical and experimental science. Computational science serves as a new paradigmfor acquiring knowledge and informing decisions important to humankind.
Established in 1980, the Honda Prize is awarded annually to an individual or group torecognize accomplishments in the field of ecotechnology*2, which works to advance humanachievement while concurrently preserving the natural environment. These days, computer
simulation technology is widely utilized in various fields, from manufacturing to medicine, tosave time and resources, while improving product quality and safety. This result is among thegoals of eco-technology. Therefore, Dr. Oden’s contributions to the field are appropriate for
the Honda Prize recognition.
The 34th award ceremony for the Honda Prize will be held at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo on
November 18, 2013. In addition to the prize medal and certificate, the laureate will beawarded 10 million yen.
*1 Honda Prize: Japan’s first international science and technology award inaugurated in 1980.
*2 Ecotechnology: Coined from “ecology” - the house of civilization - and “technology.” It has been put forward
since 1979 as the guiding philosophy for a better symbiosis between technology-driven civilization and nature.

For more information, contact the Honda Foundation via:
phone at +81-3-3274-5125 or fax at +81-3-3274-5103
Honda Yaesu Building, 2-6-20 Yaesu, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0028, Japan
http://www.hondafoundation.jp/en/
You may also contact Honda Motor’s Public Relations Department via phone at +81-3-5142-1512.

-2-Dr. J. Tinsley Oden
Director of the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES)
at The University of Texas at Austin
Born: December 25, 1936 in Alexandria, Louisiana, USA (USA citizenship)
Education and Training
1962: Ph.D., Oklahoma State University, Engineering Mechanics
1960: M.S., Oklahoma State University, Civil Engineering
1959: B.S., Louisiana State University, Civil Engineering
Honorary Degrees:
Ohio State University
Ecole Normale Superieure Cachan (ENSC), France
The University of Texas at Austin
Cracow University of Technology, Poland
Faculte Polytechnique de Mons, Mons Belgium
Technical University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

Honoris Causa
Honoris Causa
Presidential Citation
Honoris Causa
Honoris Causa
Honoris Causa

2010
2006
2004
2001
2000
1987

Employment History
University of Texas-Austin, Director, Institute of Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES), (TICOM 9/1974– 8/1993, TICOM 9/1993 – 2/2003) 3/2003 - present.
University of Texas-Austin, Associate Vice President for Research, 3/2003 – present.
University of Texas-Austin, Professor, Computer Science Department, 2011 - present.
University of Texas-Austin, Professor, Mathematics Department, 9/1981 - present.
University of Texas-Austin, Professor, Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Department,
9/1973 – present.
University of Alabama-Huntsville, Assistant Professor and Professor in Engineering Mechanics, 9/1964-8/1973.
General Dynamics, Senior Structures Engineer, Research Department, Fort Worth, 1963-64.
Oklahoma State University, Instructor in Applied Mechanics, Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering,
1961-63.
Louisiana State University, Teaching Assistant, 1959.
Biographical Sketch
J. Tinsley Oden is world renowned for his contributions in establishing and developing the field of computational
mechanics, which applies mechanics, mathematics, and computer science to create computer models of the physicalworld. Such simulations are used in fields as diverse as medicine, material engineering, energy exploration, andclimate science. As the Director of the Institute of Computational Engineering and Sciences, Dr. Oden’s current
research is in multi-scale “adaptive” modelling, with a focus on semiconductor modelling and cancer treatment. For
his scientific contributions, Dr. Oden was awarded the Theodore von Karman Medal of American Society for Civil
Engineers in Engineering Mechanics in 1992, the John von Neumann Medal of U.S. Association for Computational
Mechanics in 1993, the Newton-Gauss Congress Medal of International Association for Computational Mechanics in
1994, and The Stephen P. Timoshenko Medal of American Society of Mechanical Engineers in Applied Mechanics
in 1996, among others.
Publications
Mechanics of Elastic Structures: McGraw-Hill, New York City,1967
Finite Elements of Nonlinear Continua: McGraw-Hill, New York City,1972
Finite Elements vol.1 to 6: (with E.B Becker and Graham F. Carey) Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs,1981
Applied Functional Analysis, 2nd ed.: (with L. F. Demkowicz) CRC Press, Boca-Raton, 2010
An Introduction to Mathematical Modelling: Wiley, Hoboken,2011(selected among 800 publications, including 27 books)-3-