Anna Dix Selected for American Council of Engineering Companies 2009 Young Professional of the Year Award

Anna Maria Dix, PE, a structural designer at Liftech Consultants Inc. in Oakland, California, has contributed to the development of the design process for the “ductile link” tie-down system used on dockside container cranes. In hurricane and typhoon regions, extreme winds cause cranes to collapse, costing millions of dollars in damages. The system allows ductile redistribution of tie-down forces, greatly improving the structure’s ability to resist extreme winds. The system is now widely used worldwide. She has also been involved in a fatigue study and report for Zhenhua Port Machinery Company, the world’s largest manufacturer of dockside container cranes, to determine the possible causes for chronic unexpected fatigue cracking.

Dix holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Virginia Tech and a master’s in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. She is active with the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California in their Young Member Forum and outreach activities.