Robert S. Browning IV recently was named the 2014 Young Engineer of the Year for the Mississippi Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Browning has worked as a research structural engineer in the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory at the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center for the past five years.

As a member of ASCE’s Blast, Shock and Impact Committee for the past six years, Browning’s award cited his service to the advancement of the engineering profession and for his contributions to ASCE.

As a research structural engineer, Browning has provided computational support to numerous ERDC projects, most notably those requiring large parameter studies. In 2012, he received an Achievement Medal for Civilian

Service for his work supporting the Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience program. In 2013, he and his colleagues received an ERDC Research and Development Achievement Award for their development of hasty retrofits to indigenous structures.

Growing up on a family farm near Selma, Ala., Browning earned his bachelor’s in civil engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2006 and his master’s from Auburn University in 2008, specializing in structural engineering. Upon completion of his master’s, he worked for Southern Research in Birmingham, where he was involved in blast-resistant research for the U.S. Department of State.

Browning is the son of Robert S. Browning III and Gail Colee Browning who still own and operate the family farm in Alabama. He is married to Kimberly Cabaniss Browning.

ERDC is the premier research and development facility for USACE, with more than 2,500 employees, $1.2 billion in facilities and an annual research program exceeding $1.1 billion. It conducts research in both military and civil works mission areas for the Department of Defense and the nation.