Awards and Scholarships
trevor looney- 2020 ABC-utc student of the year
Doctoral Student at The University of Oklahoma
Trevor Looney is a PhD candidate in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma (OU). He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri. After working for Wallace Engineers in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he enrolled at OU to pursue a PhD in structural engineering with research focused on ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). Trevor has contributed to three interconnected research projects developing non-proprietary UHPC that are being coordinated by the Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center (ABC-UTC). Upon completion of his doctorate, Trevor will pursue a career in public-sector research and development
Trevor was a major contributor to three interconnected research projects focused on UHPC: the ABC-UTC’s Non-Proprietary UHPC Mix project; the development of the original non-proprietary mix at OU that became the foundation of the other UHPC Mix projects; and the matching Oklahoma Department of Transportation project. He also co-authored two journal papers.
Trevor’s thesis is titled “Tensile Failure Criteria of Ultra-High Performance Concrete at Different Fiber Percentages.” This research is an experimental and analytical investigation of the multi-axial stress behavior of UHPC. The results of this testing will be used to determine generalized failure criteria for UHPC materials. The proposed failure criteria will be verified using experimental results and finite element analysis.
benjamin arras - 2019 sptc student of the year
Doctoral Student at The University of Texas El Paso
Benjamin Arras is a native of El Paso, Texas, is from humble roots and was raised in the border community. He is a first-year Civil Engineering Ph.D. student at The University of Texas at El Paso. He is actively performing research in the discipline of pavements engineering where he is optimizing laboratory-curing conditions for hot mix asphalt to better simulate field behavior. He takes pride in the Greater El Paso community and is an active contributor to local service projects. He is highly respected amongst his peers and faculty, as he is currently serving on leadership positions on multiple student organizations at UTEP. He is the current President of the prestigious Chi Epsilon National Civil Engineering Honor Society (Chapter #86), the President of the Transportation Leadership Council, and mentor for the UTEP Steel Bridge Team. On his free time enjoys listening to music, outdoor activities, loves spending time with his family but most importantly enjoys helping other in need. His professional aspirations are to improve and contribute to innovation of our transportation infrastructure that will help bridge diversified communities
For more information about Benjamin Arras and his research, contact SPTC at sptc@ou.edu
melissa escalante - 2018-2019 first place Thesis award winner
Melissa Escalante is a graduate student from the University of Texas at El Paso pursuing Civil Engineering. Her thesis topic, "Assessing Delamination of Concrete Bridge Decks with aging in Arid Regions using non-destructive testing" is given 2018-2019 best thesis award by Southern Plains Transportation Center.
Nur Hossain - 2018 SPTC Student of the Year
Graduate Research Assistant
Nur Hossain, a graduate research assistant from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, was named the 2018 SPTC Student of the Year – one of the most prestigious awards given by the SPTC under the University Transportation Center program. He was recognized at the Council of University Transportation Center’s awards banquet, held January 6, 2018 in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board. Hossain is pursuing a doctoral degree in civil engineering with an emphasis in design and performance of pavement under his adviser, Professor Musharraf Zaman. His research is titled “Mechanistic Input Parameters and Model Calibration for Design and Performance Evaluation of Flexible Pavements in Oklahoma”. For more information about Nur Hossain and his research, contact SPTC at sptc@ou.edu.
Victor Garcia - 2017 First Place Thesis Award Winner
Mr. Victor Garcia earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in Fall 2014. Victor Garcia is currently pursuing a Master Degree in Civil Engineering with focus in the area of Geotechnical/Pavement Engineering.
Cameron Murray - 2017 SPTC Student of the Year
Graduate Research Assistant
Cameron Murray, a graduate research assistant from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, was named the 2017 SPTC Student of the Year – one of the most prestigious awards given by the SPTC under the University Transportation Center program. He was recognized at the Council of University Transportation Center’s awards banquet, held January 7, 2017 in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board. A native of Little Rock, AR, Murray is pursuing a doctoral degree in civil engineering with an emphasis in concrete testing and large-scale structural testing under his adviser, Professor Royce Floyd. His research is titled “Shear and Load Distribution Behavior of Type-II AASHTO Bridge Girders.” For more information about Cameron Murray and his research, contact SPTC at sptc@ou.edu.
Ollie Blount - 2016 SPTD SEED Scholar
Ollie has been a part of the SEED program for two years and states it as her favorite College of Engineering program. One activity she has accomplished, in the SEED Scholar Program, was reinventing an activity called an “Egg Car.” Ollie, and a fellow SEED scholar, took the reins of the project, reconstructing the ramp that was only a three foot long piece of wood, with something to stop the car at the end. After they rebuilt the ramps, they were 5 feet tall, with attachable pieces that had polyurethane, rocks, and sandpaper on them, to stimulate real world conditions.
Ollie is currently working on bringing back an activity called “Make it fly.” Her plans are to better this activity, with new materials, like balsa wood, to create better gliders and teach kids about Aerospace Engineering. In the midst of making old activities new again, she has learned a few things about engineering, including creativity, time management, and teamwork. Ollie continued to develop this program and will do many more developments on it, in the next year.
Brittany Cranor - 2017 Thesis Award
Brittany Cranor is a structural engineering intern for Guernsey since June 2015. She studied at the University of Oklahoma for her Master of Science in Civil Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering. As part of her academic studies, she completed research on an AASHTO Type II girder and wrote her thesis to complete her Master degree. While pursuing her degrees, she spent time as chapter president of Chi Epsilon and a member of ASCE and Tau Beta Pi.
Her thesis was based on the detailed analysis and experimental testing of a Type II AASHTO bridge girder removed from the I-244 Bridge over the Arkansas River in Tulsa, OK when the bridge was demolished in 2013.
rodrigo antonio collao - 2018-2019 second place thesis award winner
Rodrigo is a graduate student from the University of Oklahoma pursuing masters in Civil Engineering. His thesis topic, "Developing Affordable Smart Solutions for Police Reporting" is given 2018-2019 second best thesis award by Southern Plains Transportation Center.
Adnan Khan - 2017 SPTC Dissertation Award Winner
Dr. Adnan Khan received the SPTC Dissertation Award for 2016 for dissertation titled “Influence of Moisture Distribution in Soil on Pavement and Geothermal Energy." Khan completed his Ph.D. in Materials and Infrastructure Systems from Louisiana Tech University December of 2016.
Darion Mayhorn - 2017 Second Place Thesis Award Winner
Mr. Darion Mayhorn is currently pursuing a Master Degree in Civil Engineering with focus in the Structures at the University of Oklahoma.
Nathan Ferraro - 2016 SPTC Student of the Year
Graduate Research Assistant
Program Director, Warrior-Scholar Project
Nathan Ferraro, a graduate research assistant from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, was named the 2016 SPTC Student of the Year – one of the most prestigious awards given by the SPTC under the University Transportation Center program. He was recognized at the Council of University Transportation Center’s awards banquet, held January 10, 2016 in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board. A native of Pittsburgh, Ferraro is pursuing a master’s degree in civil engineering with an emphasis in geotechnical engineering under his adviser, Professor Amy Cerato. His research is titled “Validating Field Employed X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) on Stabilized Subgrade Projects.” For more information about Nathan Ferraro and his research, contact SPTC at sptc@ou.edu.
Timothy A. Wood - 2015 Dissertation Award
Timothy A. Wood completed his Bachelors of Science in engineering physics with a focus in structures. He continued his studies at the graduate level and received his Master of Science in civil engineering in 2009.
Timothy Wood’s doctoral dissertation evaluates the influence of three factors – cover soil depth, demand model sophistication, and live load attenuation method – on the load rating of cast-in-place (CIP), reinforced-concrete (RC) box culverts. Concrete box culvert load rating appears simple but is quite complex. The governing federal policy, analysis principles, challenges, and the disconnect between load rating calculations and field inspection observations are discussed in detail.