Airport pavements expert honored with James Laurie Prize

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) honored Jeffrey S. Gagnon, P.E., M.ASCE, with the 2017 James Laurie Prize for his contribution to the advancement of knowledge and understanding in the design, construction, and management of airport pavements.

Gagnon’s work on the airport pavement management is at the forefront and cutting edge of research. Under his leadership and technical guidance, a team of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) staff, consultants, and universities collaborate to perform the research and development behind the FAA’s pavement-related advisory circulars and computer programs. A current example of his efforts is the Airport Pavement Design and Evaluation Advisory Circular update that will soon be released. These references and tools are used by civil engineers throughout the world.

In his role as manager of the FAA’s Pavement Research Section, Gagnon has played a key role in providing the information needed to engineer the airports of today and the future. As a result, his technical advice is widely sought and he travels the world participating in workshops and conferences and sharing the latest research results.

The James Laurie Prize recognizes contributions to the advancement of transportation engineering in research, planning, design, or construction.