NEWS

The Louisiana Tech University chapter of the North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT) earned several awards at the 2018 No-Dig Show in Palm Springs, California.
The organization won the Best Student Chapter Award for the fourth year in a row. Greta Vladeanu, doctoral student in engineering, received second place for the Poster Competition. Ryan Laborde, construction engineering technology senior, was also honored at the Conference for earning the 2017-2018 Michael E. Argent Memorial Scholarship.

“Our students are highly respected at this annual conference, but the compliments this year were off the charts from numerous attendees,” said Dr. John Matthews, director of the Trenchless Technology Center and associate professor of civil engineering and construction engineering technology at Louisiana Tech. “NASTT staff confirmed that they specifically task our students with the more critical tasks because they know they can count on them. I should add that it’s unprecedented for a chapter to win first place for Best Student Chapter four years in a row.”
Dr. Sharauv Alam, chapter advisor and associate director of research at the TTC, concurred.

“All these students are outstanding, motivated, and hard working,” Alam said. “This year, they started out for the conference at 3 a.m., drove to the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, flew to LAX, rode two hours to Palm Springs and were still punctual at the orientation meeting and productive throughout the day and the rest of the conference. I am very proud of each of them.”
The NASTT No-Dig Show provides attendees with access to more than 190 exhibits showcasing trenchless products and services for repair, replacement and installation of underground utilities. Attendees have the opportunity to network with professionals and educators and to learn new techniques that will save money and improve infrastructure. It is the largest trenchless technology conference in the world.