Crawford Elected as ITE Texas District Director
TTI Associate Research Engineer Jason Crawford was recently elected to serve as the Texas District director of the Institute of Transportation Engineer (ITE) International Board of Direction. The term is from Jan. 1, 2015, to Dec. 31, 2017.
ITE is an international educational and scientific association of transportation professionals responsible for meeting mobility and safety needs. ITE facilitates the application of technology and scientific principles for research, planning, functional design, implementation, operation, policy development and management for any mode of ground transportation.
Crawford, who has been an ITE member since 1989, will be working with the 17-member board to develop policy and establish budgets for ITE’s operation. There are eight districts that meet in person four times a year. According to Crawford, among the challenges the board will face is defining what ITE is in the coming 5 to 10 years. That includes determining how the board selects new officers in the future.
Fitzpatrick, Briaud Receive Regents Awards
Kay Fitzpatrick and Jean-Louis Briaud were named recipients of The Texas A&M University System’s Regents Fellow Service Award during a ceremony Feb. 11. The Regents Fellow Service Award is reserved for those A&M System employees “who have provided exemplary professional service to society that has created large and lasting benefits to Texas and beyond.”
Fitzpatrick, a senior research engineer and manager of TTI’s Roadway Design Program, is internationally recognized for her research involving transportation safety. During her 26-year career with TTI, she has led 40 different research projects and authored 260 publications, receiving accolades from colleagues and professional organizations alike.
“Working with other researchers at TTI, I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue my passion for reducing crashes and to improve traffic operations, especially for pedestrians,” Fitzpatrick said after receiving the prestigious award. “Being recognized as a Regents Fellow is a huge honor and is indeed a highpoint of my career.”
Briaud is the Buchanan Chair professor in Texas A&M University’s Zachry Department of Civil Engineering and manages TTI’s Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Program. He is also a Distinguished Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and president of the Federation of International Geoengineering Societies.
Among his contributions to the field of engineering, Briaud’s work on foundation engineering, bridge scour and soil erosion, and vehicle crash protection truly stands out, and his research has led to the publication of two books, on “the pressuremeter” in 1992 and on “geotechnical engineering: unsaturated and saturated soils” in 2013. He received tenure and promotion to Halliburton Associate Professor in 1983, and in 1986 became one of the youngest faculty members promoted to the rank of full professor. In 2002, he was awarded the Buchanan Chair.
Kuhn Appointed Chair of ITE Coordinating Council
TTI System Management Division Head and Senior Research Engineer Beverly Kuhn was recently appointed chair of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Coordinating Council. Kuhn’s appointment began on Jan. 1.
The coordinating council organizes the activities of the professional, technical and employer-type councils of ITE and oversees more than 70 council projects currently under way. These projects include the development of standards and recommended practices for the profession, informational reports, technical sessions and awards. As chair, Kuhn will be attending all the coordinating council meetings held during the year.
Spiegelman Named AAAS Fellow
Elected by his peers, TTI Senior Research Scientist Cliff Spiegelman has been named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). It’s an honor established in 1874 that highlights AAAS members’ contributions to innovation, education and scientific leadership.
Spiegelman, who is an expert in statistical and environmental forensics, is considered one of the founders of chemometrics — the science of using data to extract information from chemical systems. In addition to his work at TTI, Spiegelman is a distinguished professor of statistics in the College of Science at Texas A&M University.
AAAS acknowledges Spiegelman “for leadership in addressing complex, real-world problems, especially in chemometrics, transportation, forensics and social program evaluation through the development, application and communication of innovative statistical methodology.”
“It is great that the collaborative transportation work with so many colleagues at TTI is recognized. It is heartwarming that Dr. Herb Richardson, a colleague and fellow distinguished professor, went way out of his way to help make this honor happen,” Spiegelman says.
Pourteau Appointed Editor, Atchison Managing Editor of Researcher
Chris Pourteau, managing editor for the Texas Transportation Researcher since 2008, has been appointed editor beginning with this issue. Samantha Atchison, managing editor of TTI’s SafetyNet newsletter, will now serve as managing editor for the publication. Kelly West, who served as editor for 12 years, is taking on a new management focus to expand TTI’s editorial, graphic design and video services, and to increase project and proposal support Institute-wide.
In Memoriam
Larry Heil — former McDonald Transit CEO, founding director and president of the Southwest Transit Association and vice president of the American Public Transportation Association. Heil was chair of the TTI Advisory Council from 1994 to 2002. He was inducted into the Texas Transportation Hall of Honor in 2008.
Bob Lanier — former mayor of the city of Houston and chairman of the Texas Highway Commission. He helped initiate both the Adopt-a-Highway program and the “Don’t Mess with Texas” campaign. He also chaired the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Lanier was inducted into the Texas Transportation Hall of Honor in 2002.
Teens in the Driver Seat Summit 2015
