Carleton civil engineering professor Ata Khan was presented with a lifetime achievement award March 25 by the Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineers (CITE) in recognition of his dedication to transportation planning and technology.
Khan, a specialist in traffic management and urban planning, has been teaching at the Carleton engineering department since 1969, upon completing his PhD at the University of Waterloo.
“I was somewhat surprised to find out about the award,” said the award-winning engineering professor. “Because one has to be in the profession for a very long time and have some significant contributions to the transportation industry."
Khan said the award is given to people with a certain level of professional status, and his past involvement with the provincial and municipal government, various commissions and agencies and the United Nations have all helped him build his profile.
The Life Member Award, bestowed by the Institute of Transportation Engineers headquartered in Washington, recognizes the lifelong participation of a transportation professional in the industry, said Bruce Belmore, the president of CITE.
“This is the first Life Member Award that I have had the privilege to bestow,” Belmore said. “It is nice to see those that have dedicated their career to expanding our knowledge in the field of transportation recognized in this fashion.”
CITE is a district of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, an international organization whose mandate is to provide the members with educational opportunities to interact at local and national conferences, and to develop technical products, such as manuals and software.