Dr. Brian Wolshon, Associate Professor in the CEE Department, received the 2008 James M. Todd Technical Accomplishment Medal from the Louisiana Engineering Society. This medal is awarded for distinguished service by an engineer for technological advancement or discoveries that have contributed advancements in engineering.

Dr. Wolshon specializes in the field of highway design and traffic engineering. His research in the operational traffic conditions associated with emergency evacuation has enabled him to measure traffic flow conditions under contraflow operation, information used by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to plan and design emergency evacuations plans for the southern Louisiana. This plan was implemented during Hurricane Katrina and enabled DOTD to greatly reduce the evacuation time from New Orleans. Now, due to the outstanding success of this model, it is being used throughout the United States.