Waheed Uddin holds his award as his wife, Rukhsana, looks on.
OXFORD, Miss. – The founder and director of the Center for Advanced Infrastructure Technology at the University of Mississippi has been presented his alma mater’s highest honor.
Waheed Uddin, UM professor of civil engineering, is among 11 new inductees into the University of Texas at Austin’s Academy of Distinguished Alumni. The award cites “recognition of a distinguished professional career and lifelong dedication to the support and advancement of engineering education.” The UT Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering has inducted fewer than 125 members from its 10,000-plus living alumni.
“This award has been the highest honor of my professional/academic life,” said Uddin, noting that UT-Austin comes in No. 30 in the 2014 U.S. News and World Report rankings. Its CAEE department ranks third for its graduate program and sixth for undergraduate education in the same publication.
“To be elected a distinguished alum and recognized by one of the top-ranked universities in the U.S. and the world is truly gratifying.”
The department established the academy to acknowledge the professional achievements and contributions of its graduates. Twenty-seven charter members were inducted into the academy in 2003, and 84 additional members have been selected since.
UM School of Engineering administrators and faculty expressed pride in their colleague’s recognition.
“For many years, Dr. Uddin’s research, teaching and service have brought honor to the University of Mississippi School of Engineering,” Dean Alex Cheng said. “It is certainly most fitting that his alma mater recognize his achievements by inducting him into their Academy of Distinguished Alumni.”
Yacoub Jacob Najjar, UM chair and professor of civil engineering, said he has great respect for Uddin as an energetic teacher, researcher, adviser and leader.
“Considering his educational records, achievements and impact, I can truthfully attest that Waheed’s activities continue to yield great benefits to the state of Mississippi, University of Mississippi and the School of Engineering,” Najjar said. “It was very logical to see him inducted into the University of Texas at Austin’s Academy of Distinguished Alumni. This notable honor adds greatly to the national and international reputation of our department, school and university.”
Uddin, who earned his doctorate from UT-Austin in 1984, has more than 35 years of professional and research experience in highways, airports, air quality, traffic management, infrastructure and environmental sustainability. He is a pioneer in evaluating laser remote sensing terrain-scanning technology and geospatial analysis for infrastructure development and environmental applications.
Uddin’s innovative transportation and flood inundation mapping products were used for Hurricane Katrina impact assessment on Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2005, post-2010 floods in Pakistan and 2011 floods in Thailand. He has also received grants totaling more than $16 million as principal investigator and collaborator, including a $4.6 million software gift from the geospatial industry.
He developed several new engineering labs at UM that focus on asphalt testing, remote sensing-geospatial data analysis and modeling-visualization. He is studying intermodal integration and infrastructure disaster protection to assess disaster risk vulnerabilities and enhance the global supply chain.
Also a graduate of the Asian Institute of Technology and the University of Karachi, Uddin has worked, lectured and made presentations in 28 countries. He has published more than 220 papers, discussions and technical reports, including four books, two book chapters and 109 peer-reviewed papers in refereed journals and conference books.
Uddin said he is “very proud” that his wife, Rukhsana, and their three sons were all educated at UM during the last 22 years.
“My wife, who earned her M.S. in family counseling and Ph.D. in education from here, is a faculty and researcher in the UM teacher education program,” Uddin said. “Our oldest son, Omar, got most of his engineering education at Ole Miss before he decided to become a high-tech business entrepreneur in northern Virginia.
“Usman, our middle son, earned his BBA degree in business MIS at Ole Miss and his MBA from George Mason University. The youngest, Asad, is a junior in the Trent Lott Public Policy Leadership program.”
Uddin’s hobbies include reading, traveling, photography, tweeting and blogging.
“I’m also a fan of both the Ole Miss Rebels and the University of Texas Longhorns,” he said.
For more on the UM Department of Civil Engineering, visit http://engineering.olemiss.edu/civil/. For more on the Center for Advanced Infrastructure Technology, visit http://www.olemiss.edu/projects/cait/home/index.php.