Dr. Adjo Amekudzi, associate professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech, will be recognized by her Alma Mater, Carnegie Mellon University, as its Alumni Association presents her with the Recent Alumni Award during the 2009 Homecoming.
The Carnegie Mellon Alumni Association honors exceptional Carnegie Mellon alumni, students and faculty for their contributions to the university, their communities and their professions. The Recent Alumni Award is presented each year for exemplary achievement in one's career or for outstanding service to the university during one's first 10 years as a member of the Carnegie Mellon alumni community.
"I am extremely grateful to the CMU Awards Committee. Being selected to receive the Carnegie Mellon Recent Alumni Award is a major honor and at the same time, a wonderful source of encouragement for me", says Dr. Amekudzi, who was nominated for the award by Professor James H. Garrett, Jr., head of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon. Dr. Garrett commented on the competitiveness of this award as well as Dr. Amekudzi's achievements stating "We are very proud of Adjo and her accomplishments at Georgia Tech!"
Dr. Amekudzi earned a BS in civil engineering from Stanford University (1994), an MS in civil engineering (transportation) from Florida International University (1996), an MS in civil infrastructure systems (1997) and a PhD in civil and environmental engineering (1999) from Carnegie Mellon University. She joined the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech in 1999. Currently, she serves as associate professor in the School and deputy director of the GA Transportation Institute. She studies systems problems related to the integrated built and natural environment with the objective of improving investment decision making for built systems. Her research currently focuses on three areas:
- Environmentally-conscious planning
- Evaluation of infrastructure sustainability
- Infrastructure asset management
Dr. Amekudzi has published more than thirty papers on these subjects, served on several boards and panels to contribute expert knowledge on these subjects and she received notable awards and honors recognizing her contributions in these concentration areas. Dr. Amekudzi is also actively involved in course development in these areas.
First presented in 1950, the Carnegie Mellon Alumni Awards recognize alumni, faculty and students for their service to the university and for their achievements in the arts, humanities, sciences, technology and business. To date more than 750 individuals have been honored through its program.