CE professor, alumnus receive ASCE's OPAL Awards
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) honors some of the most accomplished civil engineers in the industry each year through its Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) Award. This year, two of the four recipients are Purdue Engineers.
Kumares C. Sinha, the Edgar B. and Hedwig M. Olson Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering, and James E. Rowings (BSCE ’75, MSCE ’79, Ph.D. ’82) will be recognized during the OPAL Gala on Oct. 20 at the ASCE 2023 Convention in Chicago.
The 2023 OPALs recognize engineers in four categories – construction, education, government, and management.
Sinha was recognized in the “education” category for demonstrated excellence in furthering civil engineering education, and Rowings in “construction” for innovation and excellence in construction of civil engineering projects and programs.
Sinha joined the Purdue faculty as an associate professor in 1974 and became the Edgar B. and Hedwig M. Olson Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering in 1997. He was the Head of the Transportation and Infrastructure Systems area from 1981-2001 and Director of the Joint Transportation Research Program from 1995-2010. He became an Honorary Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2005 and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2008.
Rowings is vice president, Kiewet University, Kiewet Corporation. Upon earning his bachelor’s degree, he began his career working abroad for Aramco as a construction engineer on large projects. After earning his master’s and PhD, he joined academia, beginning at the University of Kansas and later joining the faculty at Iowa State University. As a professor and researcher for nearly 20 years, Rowings taught every fundamental construction engineering course and many graduate level construction engineering and management courses.
In 1997, Rowings developed an original construction learning lab where students could practice core concepts and apply skills. In 2007, he was named chief learning officer and vice president, Kiewit University. The university has five colleges covering 17 subject areas, eight core schools, 11 technical schools and several specialty schools. In addition, several hundred online and distributed learning courses are available. This role perfectly combines his academic background, teacher/researcher expertise and industry experience.