ACPA Quarter 1 2019

www.acpa.org Quarter 1, 2019 15 ACPA Recognizes Jason Weiss with Technical Achievement Award By Sheryl S. Jackson for the American Concrete Pavement Association ABOUT 12 YEARS AGO, JASON WEISS, PH.D., P.E., Head of the School of Civil and Construction Engineering at Oregon State University, was working at another university when he received a call from ACPA member asking him to look at a project. “The contractor had completed a pavement project that went well, but when he began to work on another project downstream from the first, he noticed some signs of joint failure,” says Weiss. “He wanted to be proactive and find out what was causing the problem before he started on the next pavement.” After evaluating the pavement, Weiss admits that the joint failureswere puzzling. “I hadnot seen this issue in high quality pavements before,” he says. Because Weiss’ research has focused on ensur- ing the durability of concrete pavements and proving the value of concrete pavements, he began to investigate the causes of early failures. The long life of a concrete pavement means that advancements in technologies such as de-icing salts may affect pavements in ways that were not originally anticipated. “Our challenge is to think about the pavement at 30, 50 or 70 years of age and look at specifica- tions that will ensure durability even when other products change,” says Weiss. Weiss was awarded theMarlin J. Knutson Award for Technical Achievement for his advancement of concrete pavement durability through applied research, including application of the ring and dual-ring tests; resistivity test, and most notably the “formation factor.” Some of his notable tech- nical achievements are important components of the “Performance EngineeredMixtures” program, and are enabling the FHWA, state DOTs, and industry to work collaboratively to develop the next generation specification for concrete pave- ment quality assurance. The Marlin J. Knutson Award for Technical Achievement is presented to an individual or group who has made significant contributions to advance the development and implementation of technical innovations and best practices in the design and construction of concrete pavements. “It is humbling to receive this award, especially when I look at previous recipients—a Who’s Who of people who have made the industry what it is today,” says Weiss. “I’m fortunate that ACPA members, have played an integral role in my research as have 30 to 40 different graduate students over the years.” T E C H N I C A L A C H I E V E M E N T continues on page 16 »