Ariaratnam elected to governing board of leading utility engineering institute

Through the Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute, or UESI, professionals in pipeline engineering, surveying, geomatics and utilities have opportunities to network, pursue continuing education, participate in conferences and technical events, contribute to developing industry standards and shape the future of their fields.

Fulton Schools Professor Samuel Ariaratnam will have a larger overall role in guiding those efforts as a new member of the board of governors of the institute, which is part of the American Society of Civil Engineers, or ASCE. He is one of two new governors recently elected to the board, along with a new president-elect.

Ariaratnam is the program chair of construction engineering in the Del E. Webb School of Construction of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the seven Fulton Schools.

“Sam is a superstar faculty member who contributes immensely to advancing our programs and the industry at large,” says Professor Ram Pendyala, director of the school. “This appointment is yet more evidence of his stellar reputation in the profession.”

Ariaratnam is a leading expert in construction-related technologies and systems, including horizontal directional drilling and other areas related to heavy underground construction.

He is a member of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the U.S. National Academy of Construction, and earlier this year was named ASU’s Beavers-Ames Chair of Heavy Construction.

He has a decadeslong track record of service and leadership in his profession. He has held positions on regional and national levels with the North American Society for Trenchless Technology and chaired the International Society for Trenchless Technology from 2010 to 2013. He currently serves as a member of the Trenchless Technology magazine editorial advisory board.

Ariaratnam also has a long history of contributions to the ASCE in committee leadership roles, including serving on the Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute’s Pipelines Division Executive Committee from 2004 to 2019 where he served as its Chair in 2017 and 2018. Currently, he serves on the selection committee for the prestigious ASCE Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prizes. Ariaratnam was elected as an ASCE Fellow in 2015.

His more recent ASCE awards include the 2019 Pipeline Division Award of Excellence and the 2021 Stephen D. Bechtel Pipeline Engineering Award.