• April 26, 2023

    PacTrans Director Receives 2023 Francis C. Turner Award

    This year, PacTrans Director, Yinhai Wang, was the recipient of the 2023 Francis C. Turner Award. With the award he joins the ranks of many other industry giants in the transportation field. The award is based on the nominee’s contributions to the advancement of the knowledge and practice of transportation engineering. The winner may be invited to deliver a “Francis C. Turner Lecture” at an appropriate Society function, and the names of these nominees are conveyed to the Honors and Awards Program office. Society members of any grade or members of T&DI are eligible. Candidates must be members in good standing at the time of nomination.

    Among the many particulars that contributed to his successful nomination, ASCE wrote at length about his many years of service to the society. Professor Wang served as the president of the ASCE Transportation & Development Institute (T&DI) and founded the ASCE Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Impact Committee. He co-chaired the 2022 ASCE International Conference on Transportation and Development (ICTD), which drew unprecedented attendance in T&DI history, largely due to his tenacity and leadership.

    During Professor Wang’s presidency at T&DI, T&DI completed restructuring all technical committees, launched an “engineering smart x for smart cities” task force for standard development, and initiated a new council to focus on education and workforce development. He co-chaired the 2018, 2020, and 2022 ASCE International Conferences on Transportation and Development (ICTD). These are only selected samples of Wang’s professional and leadership impact in recent years.

    The Transportation & Development Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers established the Francis C. Turner Award in light of the generosity of the many friends and admirers of Francis C. Turner, Hon.M.ASCE, former Chief Engineer of the Bureau of Public Roads and retired Federal Highway Administrator. The Board of Direction instituted the Francis C. Turner Award in October 1988.

    Congratulations Professor Wang!