NEWS

Louisiana Tech University’s student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers Transportation Leadership Council (ASCE TLC) won first place in the 2021 Asphalt Road-Eo competition held in December.

Civil Engineering juniors Robert Dixon, Charity Durr, Mason Macaluso, and Noah Savoie conducted a virtual forensic analysis using data from the rutted pavement on highways in Texas. The team presented their findings to a panel of judges who gave the Louisiana Tech team the top ranking.

Louisiana Tech classes and extracurricular activities prepared the team for the event.

“I was excited to participate in this competition because it was an opportunity to sharpen my leadership, connect with industry professionals, and learn more about my future industry. My team had to come together and research a field completely new to us because none of us had taken the Highways II course, which deals with asphalt failure, yet,” Durr, the ASCE TLC chair, said. “Our TLC chapter won the second competition back in 2019, however, because that was pre-pandemic and in person and this was a virtual competition, it was completely different than this competition. Louisiana Tech has equipped me with the persistence needed to tackle a problem completely unfamiliar to me like this one was. Louisiana Tech has also shown me that there are so many opportunities around for the taking, I just had to have enough confidence in myself to take them.”

“Participating in this competition was amazing,” Dixon added. “I honestly decided to join the team last second, but I am glad I did. The competition gave our team the opportunity to use problem-solving and research skills that we’ve been developing since we got to Tech. It was a learning experience, and I was fortunate to be a part of the team.”

Noah Savoie pointed out that his love for research and concrete design developed through his experiences building working concrete canoes for the Tech student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and in Tech’s Civil Engineering program courses.

“I was excited to get involved in Asphalt Road-Eo because of the interest in concrete design I got as a member of the ASCE Concrete Canoe team, as well as my goal to experience more aspects of ASCE. The potential prize money was also an incentive! My experiences at Louisiana Tech have greatly developed my data analysis and research skills, which proved to be instrumental in winning the competition,” Savoie said.

“I was excited to participate in the competition because I wanted to get more involved with ASCE and put knowledge from our classes to use,” Macaluso added. “My education at Tech helped me through this process by preparing me for problem solving as was required in the competition.”

Louisiana Tech’s Transportation Leadership Council is a subgroup of the ASCE student chapter and is sponsored by the Southern Plains Transportation Center (SPTC). Faculty advisors like professor of Civil Engineering and Construction Engineering Technology Dr. Nazimuddin “Wasi” Wasiuddin, encourage students in the TLC to prepare for their careers by participating in activities that include Transportation Month lectures, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development’s Adopt-A-Road Program, and TLC Forums in SPTC universities.

“This is the second time that the Louisiana Tech team has won the competition, which has only been held four times,” Wasiuddin said. “I’m proud of our ASCE TLC students for their outstanding performance! They prepared extremely hard for these competitions.”

The Texas Asphalt Pavement Association and the University of Texas at Austin hosted the event. Learn more about the Asphalt Road-Eo.