Several Applied Pavement Technology Principals, Program Directors, and Senior Engineers attended, spoke, and presented at the 89th annual Transportation Research Board meeting in Washington, D.C. on January 10-14 at the following events:
Engineer |
Title |
Conference Session |
Location |
Date |
| Katie Zimmerman, P.E. | President | Geographic Information Systems for Asset Management | Shoreham | Jan 10 |
| Linda Pierce, Ph.D., P.E. | Senior Engineer | Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) Implementation Practices | Marriott | Jan 10 |
| Linda Pierce, Ph.D., P.E. | Senior Engineer | Concrete Rehabilitation Solutions | Shoreham | Jan 11 |
| Thomas Van Dam, Ph.D., P.E. | Program Director | Emerging Technologies Related to Concrete | Marriott | Jan 11 |
| Katie Zimmerman, P.E. | President | Transportation Asset Management Committee | Hilton | Jan 12 |
Kathryn Zimmerman, President and Principal of Applied Pavement Technology, was recently interviewed for the Editor’s letter of CE News. She was asked to discuss her article published in the Industry Trends section of the CE News sister publication, Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure: Engineering for Bridges and Roads. Zimmerman's article in the November 2009 issue, “Transportation asset management: Investing wisely in transportation infrastructure enhancements,” defines and explains the importance of asset management, including providing tips and best practices on implementation. As an expert in transportation asset management, Zimmerman frequently gives advice to transportation agencies on implementing or improving their asset management programs to better utilize agency funding.
For the second consecutive year, the National Highway Institute (NHI) awarded Applied Pavement Technology with the annual Team Administrative Award for exemplary service, consistent excellence in training administration, and instructor competence. This year, principals David Peshkin and Kathryn A. Zimmerman were recognized specifically for their contribution as instructors for the two FWHA courses Practices for Enhanced Maintenance Management Systems (FHWA-NHI-131107) and Principles of Writing Highway Construction Specifications (FHWA-NHI-134001A).
In July, Applied Pavement Technology welcomed Kelly Smith, Senior Engineer, as our newest team member. With more than 20 years in the transportation engineering profession, he brings extensive knowledge of pavement engineering and research.
Smith’s areas of expertise include pavement performance evaluation, pavement design, pavement maintenance and rehabilitation, pavement surface characteristics (friction, smoothness, texture, and noise), and construction policy evaluation, which involves pavement type selection, life-cycle cost analysis, materials and construction specifications, and pavement testing. He is highly experienced in highway construction and maintenance quality assurance systems.
Smith has managed or taken a lead role on over thirty highway and airfield pavement projects and has worked on numerous pavement research and engineering projects for federal, State, and local government agencies, as well as private industry. Additionally, he has authored or co-authored more than fifty-five technical reports, manuals, and papers, and has presented at various transportation conferences and workshops.
Jim Sorenson worked in the FHWA’s Office of Asset Management where he was Senior Construction and Preservation Engineer. For more than 30 years Jim played a key role in so many aspects of the pavement field, including construction, quality, training, maintenance, preservation, and preventive maintenance. No matter what office Jim worked out of, no matter what his title was, he found a way to make a difference throughout his career. Jim helped individuals, he helped organizations, and he helped industries, and he did this across the United States and around the world. Jim was selfless and he was tireless, as evidenced by his around-the-clock calls and e-mails.
On June 27, 2009 Jim passed away, just shy of his 60th birthday. His loss is felt by many, including his daughters and grandchildren, his extended family, and his many friends and colleagues. At APTech we mourn the loss of a man we considered a good friend and a colleague. There are few if any in our profession who have as positive an impact as Jim, and we will miss him. An online memorial to Jim can be found at http://james-sorenson.memory-of.com.
Recently, Genevieve Long, P.E., became Applied Pavement Technology’s second engineer to earn the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Professional Accreditation certification. Long, a Pavement Engineer with the firm, successfully demonstrated her knowledge and understanding of the LEED rating system and green building practices and principles to obtain her certification. In Long’s six years with Applied Pavement Technology, she has implemented recycling programs and encouraged more sustainable engineering practices to promote the health and longevity of the environment.
Thomas Van Dam, Ph.D., P.E., Program Director of Materials and Sustainability at Applied Pavement Technology, recently earned his Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Professional Accreditation. To obtain the certification, professionals must demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the LEED rating system and green building practices and principles. Since joining Applied Pavement Technology, Van Dam has successfully encouraged more sustainable engineering techniques and has promoted companywide efforts to become environmentally friendly.
David Peshkin, P.E., Principal and Vice President of Applied Pavement Technology, was recently interviewed by Andrea Brennan for an article in the April/May 2009 issue of the State Aviation Journal. The article titled, “Doing Good Work and Having Fun! Goal of Illinois Consulting Firm,” discusses the history and the future of the company. The article can be found in PDF format on pages 11 and 12 in the April/May 2009 issue of the State Aviation Journal.
On February 25, 2009, WGN Chicago interviewed David Peshkin, P.E., a principal at Applied Pavement Technology, during a leading story about the problem of potholes in the city. Peshkin answered questions about the cost versus the benefit of patching pavement near the end of its lifecycle. He also suggested to drivers, "If you're on a badly potholed road and there's standing water, you don't know how deep you're gonna go. I'd say take it easy, go carefully, or you'll be buried up to your axles in asphalt." The story was later rebroadcast on a Champaign-Urbana television station.
View the video clip at WGN.
Applied Pavement Technology was recently awarded the Michigan DOT Bureau of Aeronautics and Freight Services Consultant of the Year award. The award recognized excellent service in the aviation industry of Michigan based on the performance of airfield pavement evaluations and the development of cost-effective airport pavement management programs. Kyle Potvin, P.E., accepted the award on behalf of Applied Pavement Technology at a ceremony on February 5, 2009.
Applied Pavement Technology recently achieved an engineering milestone; our airport pavement engineers have performed the implementation or update of a MicroPAVER pavement management system for more than 300 million square feet of Department of Defense pavement at the following sixteen Air Force Bases (AFB) and two Air Force Stations!
Edwards AFB (California)
Robins AFB (Georgia)
Tinker AFB (Oklahoma)
McChord AFB (Washington)
Offutt AFB (Nebraska)
Langley AFB (Virginia)
Arnold AFB (Tennessee)
Barksdale AFB (Louisiana)
Davis-Monthan AFB (Arizona)
Eareckson Air Force Station (Alaska)
Pope AFB (North Carolina)
Charleston AFB (South Carolina)
North Field Air Station (South Carolina)
Shaw AFB (South Carolina)
Seymour Johnson AFB (North Carolina)
Hill AFB (Utah)
Kirtland AFB (New Mexico)
Wright-Patterson AFB (Ohio)
Four Applied Pavement Technology principals and program directors made presentations and presided over or participated in workshops during the 2009 Transportation Research Board (TRB) 88th Annual Meeting. The meeting, held in Washington, D.C. from January 11-15, 2009, attracted over 10,000 transportation officials from around the world.
David Peshkin, P.E., a principal at Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. (APTech), was awarded the annual Board of Governors Chair Award on November 11 at the 2008 Airport Consultant Council (ACC) Convention. According to the ACC, “The Board of Governors Chair Award is presented annually to ACC members who have, in the opinion of the Board of Governors Chair, shown exceptional commitments to the ACC and have been of particular assistance during the Board Chair's tenure.”
The presenter noted Mr. Peshkin’s longtime contributions to the ACC, including being a “champion of and an instructor for 8 ACC Institute course offerings and [being] one of the keys to the success of the ACC Institute.”
Peshkin was lauded for accomplishing the ACC’s “goal of fostering a cooperative, educational and professional environment,” as well as generously committing his time and effort to broaden the knowledge of the consultant community.
Peshkin is a member of the ACC Board of Governors, has served as Chair or Vice Chair for 3 ACC committees, and is the current chair of the ACC Institute Committee.
The FAA selected APTech to conduct a workshop on November 5 prior to the 24th Annual Great Lakes FAA Conference in Schaumburg, Illinois. This workshop covered airport pavement management and pavement preservation techniques. The instructors included Maggie Covalt, David Peshkin, and Kyle Potvin.
Ms. Linda Pierce, P.E. joins us as a Senior Engineer with over 20 years of experience with the Washington State Department of Transportation. Her specialized skills include pavement management, pavement design, pavement rehabilitation, pavement construction, pavement type selections and life-cycle cost analysis. Her Ph.D. will be completed in December 2008.
Linda was the Vice Chair of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Joint Technical Committee on Pavements and the Chair of the DARWin Task Force. She has served and continues to serve as a Panel Member on numerous National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) studies and is a member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committees on Pavement Management, Rigid Pavement Design, and Pavement Rehabilitation.
In May 2008, Dr. Thomas Van Dam joined Applied Pavement Technology (APTech) as a Program Director specializing in materials and sustainability. Tom has partnered with the firm on research, engineering, and design projects since 1994. He spent the past 12 years at Michigan Technological University where he served as Director of the University Transportation Center for Materials in Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure and Director of the University Transportation Materials Research Center. Tom is:
Applied Pavement Technology’s vice president and principal, David Peshkin, P.E., was featured in the February 11, 2008 issue of Michigan Contractor & Builder for his presentation at the 2008 Michigan Seminar on Maintenance of Asphalt Pavements. Peshkin was heavily quoted in the article because of his explanation of maintaining asphalt pavements with limited funding.
The National Highway Institute (NHI) awarded Applied Pavement Technology with the 2007 Team Administrative Award for exemplary service, consistent excellence in training administration, and instructor competence.