A Florida International University professor is being honored by the White House and the U.S. Department of Transportation for his commitment to protecting the nation's infrastructure.
Professor Atorod Azizinamini has been named a 2015 White House Transportation Champion of Change. According to a release from FIU, the program highlights those who are leading projects and initiatives to move communities forward and keep them safer.
Azizinamini has devoted his career to developing solutions for the nation's aging bridges. He invented the innovative Folded Plate Steel Bridge System, which allows on-site construction of bridges over a few days in a way that is economical and provides long-term results with little impact to traffic.
He also developed the first comprehensive guide to enhancing the service life of bridges. The first application of Azizinamini's guide was at New York's Tappan Zee Bridge, which is nearly 60 years old and is more than 16,000 feet long, according to the New York State Thruway Authority.
Azizinamini is the director of FIU's Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center (ABC-UTC), which is dedicated to developing technology and improving bridge design and construction. The group works closely with the Federal Highway Administration, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and was established in part by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“At FIU, we are providing efficient and economical solutions for the many challenges we face with our bridges and infrastructure,” Azizinamini said in a release. “Being named a Champion of Change is recognition of the impact that we have had.”
Azizinamini and the other honorees will be presented at a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday.
