Joseph “Doc” Martin, PhD, professor emeritus of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, will be inducted into the Delaware Valley Engineering Hall of Fame during the Delaware Valley Engineers Week on Thursday, February 17.
Dr. Joseph Martin
In addition to his teaching duties, Martin served as CAEE Department Head for 12 years and associate director of the engineering management program for six years. He also acted as advisor for the Drexel chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) for over 35 years and led and organized funding for the concrete canoe and steel bridge teams.
Martin was a fixture in the Philadelphia area before retiring in 2021. He was a member of the ASCE Philadelphia Section and the Engineers Club of Philadelphia and served on the Haverford Township School Board, acting as chair of the township’s environmental advisory committee and facilties committee at times. He was also a Boy Scout Troop Leader for the Cradle of Liberty Council, Troop 463 and District Eagle Board.
“It’s always been my goal to show young people the potential they have to change the world,” Martin says. “Whether they were in a civil engineering class or studying to become Eagle Scouts, the ultimate final exam is how much you can use your time and talents to help other people.”
Martin regularly represented Drexel in the media, offering his expertise to lend context to events including the 2015 Amtrak train derailment, the 2007 collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis, President Biden’s announcement of his infrastructure bill, and countless others.
Emma Youngs, a fifth-year civil engineering major and current president of Drexel’s ASCE chapter, nominated Martin for the award. She says that his impact makes him a clear choice for the honor.
“Everyone who has passed through Drexel Engineering, or the Philadelphia engineering community as a whole, has been touched by Doc in one way or another, even if they don’t know it,” she says. “I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award.”
Before joining Drexel, Martin was a junior engineer for the New York State Department of Transportation and then served in the Army at Fort Dix and Fort Bragg. After his army service, Martin was became a municipal infrastructure project engineer for Whitman & Howard, Inc., and then taught in the Colorado State University College of Engineering
Martin was awarded the Philadelphia Section Geotechnical Engineer of the Year in 1990, the ASCE Student Chapter Advisor Award in 2010, the Philadelphia Civil Engineer of the Year in 2013, and the ASCE Fellow Award in 2017. He was named Delaware County Engineer of the Year by PSPE Delco in 2012 and has won several College of Engineering Teaching and Service awards.