Professor Byron Ruth is best known in the industry for his practical approach to teaching and research in asphalt technology. Throughout his 35-year academic career, his impact on the asphalt industry extended past his own contributions to the influences he exerted on his colleagues and students – including many industry leaders. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida.
Byron graduated in 1955 with a BS degree in Civil Engineering from Montana State University. He received his Masters degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University (1959) and his PhD in Civil Engineering from West Virginia University (1967). He started teaching as an Associate Professor at the University of Florida in 1970. He is a registered professional engineer in Indiana, West Virginia, and Florida.
Byron has served the asphalt industry in a number of associations and organizations. He has been a member and chairman of several committees of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Asphalt Pavements (ISAP). He has been a long-time member of the Canadian Technical Asphalt Association (CTAA) and was elected to Honorary Membership in 1993. Professor Ruth served as president of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists (AAPT) in 1986-1987 and was selected as Honorary Member in 2003 – a prestigious group which was comprised at the time of only twenty-two AAPT members, including twelve Asphalt Institute Roll of Honor Award winners.
Professor Ruth has been a leader in practical asphalt research and is widely known for sharing his knowledge through the presentation of numerous peer-reviewed technical papers for AAPT, TRB, and CTAA. He was the recipient of AAPT’s Emmons (Best Paper) Award in 1998 and was recognized as a runner-up for the Emmons Award in 1990. He also received the Best Paper Award from CTAA in 1988. In 1996, Byron received the Ronald D. Kenyon Award from the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) for outstanding research and education in the asphalt construction industry.
Professor Byron Ruth has clearly had a significant impact on the asphalt industry for over 45 years through his timely, practical research and passion for education. It is a pleasure to honor Professor Byron Ruth with this nomination for the Asphalt Institute Roll of Honor.
Elected: 2009
