Sandra Larson honored for outstanding achievements in highway research
This January, Sandra Larson (BSCE’88, BSBIOL’75) received the Roy W. Crum Distinguished Service Award. This award is given by the Transportation Research Board (TRB). According to the board, the award recipient is recognized for “outstanding research in the field of transportation research.”
Larson, the director of the Iowa Department of Transportation’s (Iowa DOT) Systems Operations Bureau, has served Iowans for nearly 30 years. As detailed in a news release from the TRB, Larson’s experience is vast. She has served in multiple capacities within the Iowa DOT, including Research and Technology Bureau director, Engineering Bureau director, and Bridge Design Engineer. She also has served on countless national committees for such organizations as the TRB, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation officials (AASHTO), and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP).
In Transportation Matters for Iowa, a blog of the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT), Larson was quoted:
“I’ve been very fortunate to have the support of the Iowa DOT in serving on these national committees. My criteria in participating on any of these panels or committees is that it will bring value back to Iowa. Everything I’ve been able to do with TRB and AASHTO must have an agency or public benefit that I can bring home. To me, it’s all about making a difference in Iowa for Iowans.”
Larson is a 1988 graduate of Iowa State University’s Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering. The Distinguished Service Award is named after College of Engineering graduate Roy W. Crum. Read more about Larson’s honor on Transportation Matters for Iowa blog entry “History can repeat itself in interesting ways.”