| North Carolina A&T State University’s Division of Research and Economic Development along with the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the School of Technology and the Department of Civil Engineering welcomed North Carolina Secretary of Transportation, Nick Tennyson on Feb. 22.
While on campus, Tennyson visited the Center for Highway Pavement Preservation (CHPP) at North Carolina A&T and met with students.
“It’s quite an honor to have Secretary Tennyson visit with us and particularly to spend time with the students,” said Dr. Barry Burks, vice chancellor for Research and Economic Development. “It’s important for the students to know that their innovative ideas, work and research for CHPP are recognized by our governing leaders who count on our students to build and preserve our transportation system.”
Tennyson’s visit coincided with the Aggie Shark Tank: Innovation in Transportation and Construction competition. Adopted from the popular ABC reality television series in which aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas in hopes of receiving funding, Aggie Shark Tank operated on the same premise.
Students were invited to submit their ideas based on themes such as sustainability and resilience in construction and transportation, innovative materials, recycling and re-use, safety, multimodal freight movements, energy efficient construction and transportation, reduced greenhouse gases, risk mitigation and other related subject matter.
Participants submitted a single slide describing their idea including its significance and use as well as the problem it addresses. Finalists presented their ideas on Monday, Feb. 22 in the Fort IRC building. Secretary Tennyson offered remarks and presented student award certificates. Prizes for the competition ranged from $500 to $1,000.
The top three winners of the competition were first place winner Daniel Oldham for a bio-bond; second place Mohammed Jawad for recycled bitumen from shingles; and third place Matthew Ferby for a tractor trailer rollover mitigation system. Fourteen contestants made it to the final round of the competition and received an award certificate based on the score they were given by the judges.
CHPP is aimed at providing a new platform for accelerating innovation in highway pavement preservation and will further the goal of increasing the reliability and performance of the nation’s highways. |
