Commissioned to honor Officer Sean Collier, who was shot and killed in the line of duty on April 18th, 2013, the Sean A. Collier Memorial at MIT marks the site of tragedy with a timeless structure—a form that embodies the concept of strength through unity. The design of the memorial follows basic principles of masonry construction, however its complexity required a specialized team of engineers, consultants, installers, and contractors. Designer J. Meejin Yoon enlisted masonry-vault expert John Ochsendorf, building technology and civil engineering professor at MIT.

Join us for a walkthrough of this beautiful structure with John Ochsendorf. This event will be hosted by Cheryl Vossmer, retired Captain from the MITPD, former Women’s League Board Chair and colleague of Sean Collier. Cheryl served on the MIT Committee that worked together to conceptualize how to honor Sean’s life and service.

This event will last for 20-30 minutes, with time for questions. Attendance is capped at 30.

Tickets available on 9/5/23.

John Ochsendorf is an engineer, educator, and designer on the MIT faculty since 2002. He is the MIT Class of 1942 Professor with appointments in the departments of architecture and civil and environmental engineering. Trained at Cornell, Princeton, and the University of Cambridge, he is known for creative research at the intersection of structural engineering and architecture with a particular interest in masonry and historic masonry.

John and his students have contributed to numerous design projects, including the Mapungubwe Interpretive Centre in South Africa, the MIT Sean Collier Memorial, several projects at the 2016 Venice Biennale of Architecture, and multiple sculptures with leading artists. He served as the director of the American Academy in Rome from 2017–2020, and is the founding director of the MIT Morningside Academy for Design.

John was awarded a Fulbright fellowship to Spain in 2000. In 2008 he received the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome and a MacArthur Fellowship. He is author of “Guastavino Vaulting: The Art of Structural Tile” (2010). At MIT, he was named a MacVicar Faculty Fellow in 2014 for exceptional teaching, and he received the Gordon Y. Billard Award for exceptional service in 2016.