Chairman's Award
2019 Recipient
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High-ResDon Andersen
Don Andersen, professor emeritus of civil engineering at NDSU, will receive the Chairman's Award. The award recognizes Andersen's long-term commitment to transportation education, research and outreach. He was engineering advisor to many students who went on to successful careers in North Dakota transportation and has served on the selection committee for UGPTI scholarships. Andersen began his teaching career at NDSU in the Department of Civil Engineering in 1977 and retired in 2012. Over the years he taught a variety of courses including land surveying, pavement design, geometric highway design and traffic engineering. He was the director of the ND Local Technical Assistance Program from its inception in 1986 until 2006. Known for his ability to make training and outreach fun, Andersen's quick wit and humor melded with his in-depth technical knowledge proved to be a formula for success and formed the foundation for today's program within UGPTI. Andersen also conducted research with the North Dakota Department of Transportation and was awarded Teacher of the Year in the College of Engineering.
Andersen was a Registered Professional Engineer in North Dakota and Texas. He is a past president of the North Dakota Society of Professional Engineers and the North Dakota Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. In 2012, he received the Elwyn F. Chandler award from the North Dakota Society of Professional Engineers. At various times in his career he served as faculty advisor for the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers student chapters at NDSU.
Andersen grew up on a small farm near Ada, MN. He earned a B.S. in civil engineering from NDSU and a master of engineering degree from Pennsylvania State University. His first engineering position was with the Nebraska Department of Roads in Lincoln, NE. He then worked as a research engineer with the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University and later received a doctor of engineering degree there.
He and his wife, Sandra, live in Fargo and have one son, Jeffrey.
The Chairman's Award recognizes individuals for contributions to transportation research, education, and outreach at NDSU, and/or contributions to the viability of the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute.
