Mr. Patel Nachiketa, a graduate student in the CEE masters program, won first place for his presentation titled "Interface Shear Strength Characteristics of Emulsified Tack Coats" at the 2009 Area 2 Highway Engineering Exchange Program (HEEP) conference held in Baton Rouge, June 7-10, 2009.  Area 2 includes Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.  Mr. Nachiketa will move on to compete at the International HEEP conference to be held in San Antonio, Texas, September 27 - October 1, 2009.