Student of the Year Award
2003 Recipient
An Vinh Tran
Tran earned his PhD in civil engineering from Colorado State University in December 2002, MS degree in May 1999, and BS in May 1998 (Summa Cum Laude). He is a member of Chi Epsilon, Tau Beta PI and Golden Key national honor societies.
Tran completed a computer-based study of load sharing with open-deck, timber trestle railroad bridges based on results of full-scale field load tests. The work was part of a joint project with the Transportation Technology Center of the Association of American Railroads to examine the capacity of 40+ year old bridges for contemporary train loads.
Tran's doctoral dissertation was titled "Pier Moment Rotation Behavior of High Performance Steel HPS70W I Girders." The results will assist the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to lift code restrictions on use of such girders in bridge construction. This will optimize the use of materials and save scarce highway dollars. He completed a senior project on feasibility of a major truck bypass in Larimer County, Colo..
Tran was also a teaching assistant, continuing as an instructor since his doctoral degree. He has taught undergraduate courses in mechanics, earning excellent teaching evaluations.
Tran became a U.S. citizen after emigrating to the U.S. from Viet Nam following the conflict. He exhibits outstanding citizenship, participating in the Denver Rescue Mission, Open Door Mission of Fort Collins, Secret Santa, Thanksgiving Food Drive and teaching Tai Chi for senior citizens.
