This series of Multidisciplinary Conferences on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst™ was founded in 1984 by Dr. Barry F. Beck, who was then Director of the Florida Sinkhole Research Institute at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Barry continued to organize and lead this conference series while serving as Vice-President for Karst and Chief of Operations for the Oak Ridge, Tennessee, office of P.E. LaMoreaux & Associates, Inc. (PELA). Barry was the primary force behind the first 11 “sinkhole conferences”. In 2009, a stroke interrupted his planning for the 12th conference in January 2011, and medical complications from that stroke ultimately claimed his life in November 2011. This memorial page celebrates Barry’s life and the legacy he left for those who live and work in karst. It also introduces him to those who never had the pleasure to know him. The Barry F. Beck Sinkhole Conference Student Support Fund has been established in his memory. Click here to apply for the student support fund.
2023 Beck Award Recipients
2020 Beck Award Recipients
2018 Beck Award Recipients
Joshua Benton, Northern Virginia Community College – U.S.A.
Emily Bausher, West Virginia University – U.S.A.
Yong Je Kim, University of Central Florida – U.S.A.
Ryan Shamet, University of Central Florida – U.S.A.
Mohammad Shokri, University of Central Florida – U.S.A.
Moataz Hesham Ali Soliman, University of Central Florida – U.S.A.
2015 Beck Award Recipients
Laurentiu Artugyan, West University of Timisoara - Romania
Tamsin Brittany Green, University of Leeds - England, UK
Caren Raedts, University of Western Ontario - Canada
John Wall, North Carolina State University - U.S.A.
2013 Beck Award Recipients
Dr. Marco Vattano, PhD (MSc Student), Department of Earth and Sea Sciences, University of Palermo