Dallas Little, Senior Research Fellow at the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), presented the Francis C. Turner Lecture at the 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) International Conference on Transportation and Development. The conference was held in Houston June 26-29. ASCE announced Little as the recipient of the award earlier this year, citing his work on chemical and mechanical causes of asphalt pavement damage.
Little’s lecture was entitled Two Practical Applications of Chemo-Mechanics to Extend the Life of Our Asphalt Pavement Infrastructure. Giving the lecture is part of the Turner Award.
“To receive this award, named after such a giant in transportation, is a tremendous honor,” Little says. “This was indeed a highlight in my career. Turner was known worldwide for his contributions — and he was an Aggie.”
Turner graduated from Texas A&M in 1929 and eventually became known as the Father of the Interstate Highway System. He served as Chief Engineer of the Bureau of Public Roads and was appointed Federal Highway Administrator. Turner was the first inductee of the Texas Transportation Hall of Honor housed at TTI.
Little has dedicated much of his career to extending the life of our roadways. He was the first named Senior Research Fellow at TTI and is a Texas A&M University Regents Professor. He also holds the E.B. Snead Endowed Chair in Civil Engineering. Like Turner, Little has received numerous awards during his career and is a Distinguished Member of ASCE.