Members of Ingeokring who have contributed exceptionally to the science and development of engineering geology in general, and to Ingeokring in particular, can be awarded the status of Honorary Member of Ingeokring. The Honorary membership is commemorated with a statue with inscription.
There are currently two Honorary Members of Ingeokring: Professor David Price and Dr. Niek Rengers.
Prof. David G. Price (May 3, 1932 – May 25, 1999)
The first honorary member of Ingeokring was Professor David Price. David graduated in 1954 from the University of Wales with a degree in Geology and was soon afterwards sent to British Guiana to map mineral reserves and construction materials.
In 1958 he went back to the UK to join construction company George Wimpey. Here, David and his team of were responsible for “inventing” the art of Engineering Geology as we know it know.
In 1973, David was appointed the Chair of Engineering Geology at TU Delft and became the first professor in Engineering Geology in The Netherlands. He retired from TU Delft in 1993. Prof. Price has been the driving force behind the establishment of the discipline of engineering geology in The Netherlands and was the inspiring example for many Dutch and foreign students. Professor Price received his Honorary Membership on May 14, 1999. Regretfully, David passed away only 1,5 weeks later on May 25.
Dr. Niek Rengers
Dr. Niek Rengers received the Honorary Membership of Ingeokring on January 21, 2005, during a symposium on the occasion of his official retirement from ITC. On April 12, 2005 Niek presented a lecture to the Ingeokring to celebrate his honorary membership.
Niek Rengers is something of a household name for most (if not all) Dutch and a large number of foreign engineering geologists. After starting his academic career with a Ph.D. thesis on the shear strength of discontinuity planes in rock masses, with the famed prof. Leopold Muller at the University of Karlsruhe, Niek started working for ITC where he played an important role in developing engineering geological education and training, in close collaboration with David Price of TU Delft. This eventually led to a combined M.Sc. programme of these two institutes during the period 1985-2004. Niek Rengers was vice-rector of ITC from 1992 to 2000.
Niek Rengers undertook over 30 missions abroad, for projects as well as institutional strengthening programmes, during which he visited many countries in Africa, Asia and South-America. His latest assignment abroad was in Bhutan, from 2003 to 2005, where he worked in a joint training programme of ITC and the Royal Bhutanese Government Department of Geology and Mines. Niek has close ties with Ingeokring (being one of the original founders back in 1974 and a past President) and was President of IAEG (International Association of Engineering Geology and the environment) during the period 2003-2006.
He continues to strive for a closer cooperation between the sister societies IAEG, ISRM (International Society for Rock Mechanics) and ISSMGE (International Society of Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering).