3/27/2015 Emily Scott
Written by Emily Scott
Megan McGovern, ISE Ph.D. student in Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering, received the Student Research Award at the Special Joint Conference between the North Central Hot Mix Asphalt Conference and the Annual Illinois Bituminous Paving Conference on Feb. 3. McGovern was also selected for a 2015 Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association (IAPA) Scholarship, which was presented to her at the IAPA annual meeting on March 10.
The Student Research Award is given to recognize student research that has contributed to the advancement of knowledge in the field of bituminous materials. McGovern was selected by a committee of four researchers for her specific research regarding the nondestructive testing of asphalt pavements.
“My research consists of non-destructively assessing the amount of oxidative aging in asphalt concrete using nonlinear ultrasonics,” McGovern said. “We can successfully interrogate asphalt concrete when there is only access to one side, i.e., the top surface of a pavement. Thus, it eliminates the need to extract a core and damage the pavement.”
The conference, held in Champaign, was focused towards those in careers involving asphalt construction. It allowed for highway engineers to network with contractors, government officials, consultants, as well as other engineers and researchers, and learn from professionals about the latest developments in hot-mix asphalt construction.
McGovern said that attending the conference helped her to learn more about what those in the field, such as contractors and agencies, are currently interested in, and what problems they are facing.
The goal of the conference is to create a discussion that will hopefully lead to more developments and improvements in the field, aided by research like McGovern’s.
“I feel honored to receive recognition for my research from such esteemed people in the bituminous materials field,” McGovern said of being awarded the Student Research Award.
The IAPA Scholarship provides educational assistance to students studying asphalt materials. The committee that chose McGovern to receive this scholarship consisted of several professionals who deal with asphalt materials and pavements regularly. McGovern said she feels honored to receive this scholarship because of the makeup of the committee, which included plant mix members, consulting engineers, equipment dealers and manufacturers, and material suppliers.
“I hope to form and maintain a good relationship with people in this industry, because they are the ones who my research has the potential to directly impact,” she said.
McGovern has also been selected, for the second year in a row, as a Mavis Future Faculty Fellow.
This program in the College of Engineering facilitates the training of the next generation of great engineering professors, emphasizing research, teaching and mentoring.