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Nearly 500 people convened at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, NV on Friday, September 23, 2011 to celebrate the 80^th birthday of Professor Emeritus Edward L. Wilson. Guests enjoyed carving stations, sushi, hors d'oeuvres, tray-passed champagne and a fully hosted bar. CSI President, Ashraf Habibullah, and SEAOC president, Stephen Pelham, addressed the audience briefly before Professor Wilson delivered the keynote address. In his speech, Professor Wilson recounted the days of his early research and the origins of his long-standing friendship and professional relationship with Ashraf. He concluded by thanking his wife, his students, and his colleagues for their decades of support.

Since the 1960s, Professor Wilson has been at the forefront of modern computerized structural analysis, responsible for imagining, creating and implementing numerical methods for static and dynamic analysis that have revolutionized the way structural engineers work. His early research was truly groundbreaking and he continued to develop solver technology, optimization routines, and dynamic solutions that increased the accuracy and quality of the work produced by professionals in the field. Although Professor Wilson's influence is greatly felt throughout all of CSI's products, perhaps a better measure of the significance of his contributions is to recognize that virtually every piece of modern structural analysis software contains some technology that can be traced back to his original research and development.

Professor Wilson’s 80^th birthday celebration was held in conjunction with the annual convention of the Structural Engineers Association of California and was followed by the full-length performance of Cirque du Soleil's "O".

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