Gene Hawkins and the Texas A&M Student Chapter of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (TAMUite) were the recipients of prestigious awards during the ITE Texas District Summer Meeting in Sugar Land, Texas.
For Hawkins — Zachry Department of Civil Engineering associate professor and Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) research engineer — it was the highest individual award within the Texas District ITE (TexITE): the 2010 Transportation Engineer of the Year.
“This honor was a complete surprise,” Hawkins said. “When you look at the list of people who have been given this award, it’s a who’s who in transportation engineering, and I’m very honored to be included in that company.”
The TexITE Transportation Engineer of the Year has been awarded since 1974. Prior TTI winners include James Carvell, Brian Bochner, Ed Seymour, Dennis Christiansen and Charles Keese. The award recognizes outstanding practice, teaching or research of the science and art of transportation engineering in the State of Texas.
Meanwhile, for the 13th time since 1985, the TAMUite was named the 2010 Texas District Outstanding Student Chapter. TAMUite beat out eight other similar groups from across the state.
“We strive to make our organization one through which students can enrich their lives technically, professionally and socially,” Chapter President Kristopher Ball said of the award. “We are grateful that the ITE Texas District sees this.”
As a result of the honor, TAMUite will now be in the running for the 2010 International Student Chapter Award, which it has won five times in its history.
Also at the ITE Texas District Summer Meeting, TTI Associate Research Engineer Melisa Finley was elected secretary-treasurer of the group.