Eco Bijker

Bijker completed his civil engineering studies at the Polytechnic School of Utrecht in 1944 and later graduated with honours from the Delft University of Technology in 1949. Following his studies in Delft, he joined the Waterloopkundig Laboratorium, and primarily worked at the "de Voorst" laboratory located in the Noordoostpolder.[1] During his tenure, he held various roles, including head of department, head of the de Voorst Laboratory, and deputy director. His significant contributions to coastal and hydraulic engineering gained him international acclaim.[1] In 1977, Bijker initiated the specialist journal Coastal Engineering, and was its editor-in-chief until 1993.[2][3]

He undertook key research on the scaling rules for coastal models and formulated his equation for wave-driven longitudinal transport along sandy coasts.[4][5][6] His work ultimately culminated in a PhD in Technical Sciences, which he obtained for his dissertation titled Some considerations about scales for coastal models with movable bed, supervised by Professor H.J. Schoemaker.[7] The thesis described a transport formula for waves and currents, taking the increase of the bed shear of a uniform flow due to wave motion as a starting point. From this, Bijker derived scale relationships for modelling of sediment transport under the combined effects of waves and currents. The thesis was also published separately as a technical report.[8]

As early as 1957, Bijker became involved in education as a teacher at the then International Course (now UNESCO-IHE). He fulfilled this task for 40 years and thus contributed significantly to establishing the name of the Netherlands as a leading player in (coastal) hydraulic engineering.[9]

Through his international students, his approach, which was always based on a combination of theory and practice, was accepted and propagated all over the world. His involvement in education was greatly intensified after his appointment as professor of coastal engineering at TU Delft. He accepted this professorship with the inaugural address Varen is noodzakelijk, leven...? (English: Sailing is necessary, living...?) in 1969.[10]

Among his notables students was Jan Agema, and Bijker was popular with his students, noted as a passionate and inspiring teacher who contributed significantly to the formation of generations of Dutch coastal hydraulic engineers for more than twenty years.[1][3][9]

He retired in 1989, and gave a valedictory address, De kust in een PC? (English: The coast in a PC?), in which he discussed the importance of preserving coastlines, both for their recreational value and for the survival of the local populations, and suggested alternative methods for preserving coastlines, including breakwaters and sand nourishment.[11]

He also acknowledged the importance of industry partnerships and student contributions to research, and emphasised the need for holistic understanding and planning in coastal management, with an appreciation for both the natural coastal dynamics and the human use of coastal areas. Bijker also acknowledged the possibility of a future in which numerical modelling could fully capture the development of a coast, but warned that significant fundamental research was needed to reach this point. He promoted the benefits of research with institutions such as the Waterloopkundig Laboratorium, and advocated for the expansion of international cooperation.[11][12]

In addition to his work at TU Delft, Bijker was also closely involved in the work of the Technische Adviescommissie voor de Waterkeringen (TAW - Technical Advisory Committee for Flood Defences),[13] the Civieltechnisch Centrum Uitvoering Research en Regelgeving (CUR - Centre for Civil Engineering Research and Codes)[14] and the Subsidence Committee.[15]

He published widely in Dutch and English, and presented at national and international civil and hydraulic engineering conferences.[16][3][6] Shortly before his retirement, Bijker organized the International Conference of Coastal Engineering in Delft in 1990.[9][17] Bijker received international recognition and awards on several occasions, including the International Coastal Engineering Award from the ASCE in 1986, and the Knight in the Danebrog Order (Denmark) award.[18]

Bijker consistently demonstrated a robust commitment to international collaboration.[3] His involvement in the International Conference on Coastal Engineering (ICCE) was a testament to this dedication. However, when the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) elected to host the ICCE in South Africa in 1982, during Apartheid, Bijker emerged as a prominent force advocating for the boycott of this conference.[19]

In response to the situation, the Conference on Coastal and Port Engineering in Developing Countries (COPEDEC) was inaugurated, with the leadership and funding of the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and the United Kingdom. It established its secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka. To this day, the conference is still organised quadrennially, now under the aegis of PIANC.[20][21]

Although this stance led to tension with a handful of Americans in 1982, Bijker was subsequently honoured with the International Coastal Engineering Award by the ASCE in 1986. Early in his career, Bijker began instructing at the UNESCO-IHE and continued to do so far into his retirement, until the year 2000.[3][9]