InTrans / Dec 31, 2024
PROSPER graduate student among FHWA Student Writing Competition winners
Araz Hasheminezhad, a graduate student with the Program for Sustainable Pavement Engineering and Research (PROSPER) at Iowa State University, was among the winners in the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA’s) second Student Writing Competition.
The competition recognized just four winning articles among submissions from high school, undergraduate, and graduate students across the United States studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). These articles were published in the Public Roads Winter 2025 edition released in late December 2024 and which will debut at the Transportation Research Board’s Annual Meeting in January 2025 .
“From the next generation of concrete and concrete alternatives to rumble strips and geosynthetics, the four winning students offered insightful and implementable ideas valuable to transportation professionals who are working to solve today’s—and tomorrow’s—biggest challenges,” read the introductory article announcing the winners in Public Roads.
Hasheminezhad’s article “Beyond Recycling: Geosynthetics Pioneer Upcycling of Plastic Waste,” which received the silver award, focuses on the field implementation and performance of three full-scale test road sections in Buchanan County using a composite geosynthetic made from 100% upcycled—that is, “creatively repurpose[ed] waste to give it new life and value,” per the article—polypropylene for unpaved road stabilization.
“Receiving this recognition as the winner in the FHWA’s Student Writing Competition is an extraordinary honor. Being among the first student writers featured in Public Roads—a publication with over a century of history—underscores the impact and potential of my research, motivating me to continue contributing to sustainable infrastructure development,” said Hasheminezhad.
That motivation is in part what the competition hoped to inspire, per a letter to Hasheminezhad congratulating him on the award from the FHWA’s Acting Associate Administrator for the Office of Research, Development, and Technology and Director of the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center Rhonda C. Shaffer.
“Students like you give me great hope for the future, and I can already see that you will make a positive impact on the world of transportation,” wrote Shaffer.” May this honor bring more opportunities and success in your future career.”
Hasheminezhad’s article stemmed from work he’s been doing with PROSPER Director Halil Ceylan, on the Iowa Highway Research Board- and Iowa Department of Transportation-funded project Base Stabilization of Iowa Granular Roads Using Recycled Plastics. Hasheminezhad said findings so far—the project is expected to conclude in spring 2025— demonstrate the potential of upcycled geosynthetics to provide eco-friendly and durable infrastructure solutions, bridging waste management and civil engineering innovation.