Ariaratnam earns highest honor for trenchless technology researchers

Samuel T. Ariaratnam, professor and program chair of construction engineering in the Del E. Webb School of Construction, was recently awarded the International Society for Trenchless Technology Gold Medal. He is the seventh person, and second from the U.S., to earn the highest honor in trenchless technology spanning ISTT’s 33-year history.

The award recognizes individuals who ISTT has judged to have made outstanding and exceptional individual contributions to the field of trenchless technology. 

Ariaratnam, a faculty member in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, focuses his trenchless technology education and research activities in the area of horizontal directional drilling and pipe bursting. In addition to his positions in the Fulton Schools, he is also a Senior Sustainability Scientist in the Global Institute of Sustainability.

This year, Ariaratnam was also named a member of the U.S. National Academy of Construction and received the 2019 Excellence in Pipelines Award.

He has published more than 200 technical papers, holds four patents and is active in numerous professional organizations. He is a past chair in the American Society of Civil Engineers Pipeline Division, a past chairman of the International Society for Trenchless Technology and vice director of the China-U.S. Joint Center for Trenchless Research and Development. Ariaratnam is also a distinguished professor at the China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) and a guest professor at Zhengzhou University.