Peck, PhD in civil engineering from the RPI, was one of the major contributors to the development of geotechnics in the twentieth century. He arrived at Harvard University in 1938 to attend the soil mechanics courses taught by Arthur Casagrande, which guided Peck’s professional career towards geotechnics. Peck dedicated himself to consulting and research work and was a committed lecturer at the University of Illinois, where he was a professor for 32 years.

Arthur Casagrande is one of the main people responsible for the geotechnics that we know today. Born in Slovenia, he went to the United States in 1926 to participate in major civil engineering projects. In his years of work with Karl Terzaghi, Casagrande focused on research studies, such as the development on the limits of Atterberg, and equipment for soil trials. Casagrande also was professor at Harvard University and a consultant.