2026 Richard J. Carroll Memorial Lecture on Cold-formed High Strength Steel and Stainless Steel Structures 

With the rapid evolution of metallurgical engineering and fabrication technologies, cold-formed high strength steel and stainless steel are being increasingly used in structural engineering applications. This lecture will present the unique mechanical properties and structural behavior of these advanced materials, with particular emphasis on steels exhibiting yield strengths of up to 1,300 MPa (188 KSI).

Experimental and numerical investigations into the performance of structural members and connections fabricated from cold-formed high strength steel and stainless steel will be discussed, providing valuable insights into their behavior under various loading conditions. Based on these studies, design rules have been proposed for cold-formed high strength steel and stainless steel structures, addressing both the opportunities and challenges encountered in practical applications.

Ben Young, vice president for student and global affairs and chair professor of steel structures at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, will present on cold-formed high-strength steel and stainless steel structures. The lecture can be attended in person or online.

Location

Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus
Gilman Hall, Room 50
3400 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
Reception to follow in Levering Lounge (by RSVP only)* Directions: Johns Hopkins University Maps & Directions

Paid Parking is available in the South Garage, San Martin Garage, and West Gate Garage (top level): Visitor Parking Options.

Attend On-Line (advanced registration is not required – simply login using this link at noon EST on March 13)
Zoom: https://wse.zoom.us/j/93350223399?pwd=LDDfLtItAcsg3p8KBC8puAe4mL36XS.1 

Cost
This lecture is free and open to the public. If you plan to attend the reception, please RSVP by March 6.

Questions
Contact Tina Mester in the Johns Hopkins University Civil and Systems Engineering Department at (410) 516-8680 or [email protected]

Registration*
Registration is only required if you plan to attend the reception following the lecture (deadline March 6th)

Speaker

Ben Young, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student and Global Affairs and Chair Professor of Steel Structures,
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Ben Young is vice president (Student and Global Affairs) and chair professor of steel structures at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He oversees institutional policies and strategies for student development, cultural promotion and global engagement initiatives in education, including building partnerships with leading universities and strategic partners worldwide, as well as attracting and recruiting high-caliber students from around the globe.

He received his BSc, BEng, and PhD degrees from The University of Sydney, Australia, in 1991, 1993, and 1998, respectively.

Young has been elected as a Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA). His research interests include cold-formed steel (CFS) structures, high strength steel structures, stainless steel structures, aluminum structures and fire resistance of metal structures. He is currently a co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Elsevier. He has published over 750 international journal and conference papers, of which over 410 are SCI-indexed journal papers. He has an h-index of 80 in Scopus.

Young is currently an advisory member of the Committee on Structural Stainless Steel, the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC). He was part of the drafting committee for the “Hong Kong Code of Practice for the Structural Use of Steel” published by the Buildings Department, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. He served as the Chairman of the Structural Division, The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers.

Young received the Best Paper awards from the Journal of Structures and Journal of Engineering Structures, Elsevier, in 2016 and 2024, respectively. In 2020, he received the Shortridge Hardesty Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers for his research contributions to the stability design of cold-formed steel and stainless steel structures.