Posted on March 2, 2001 at 8:52 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Fouad H. Fouad, Ph.D., professor and chairman of UAB's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been named chairman of the American Society of Testing Materials Committee on Precast Concrete Products.

The committee, consisting of more than 100 members, develops standards for precast concrete products, including those used in the construction of utility structures, architecture, agriculture, water and waste water treatment.

Fouad is responsible for overseeing all development activities of the committee and its subcommittees, including evaluation of new testing standards and new building products in the precast concrete arena.

"What we do as a committee involves research, and this is a good opportunity to showcase all of the research we do at UAB,” Fouad said. “It is also a good opportunity to get other UAB faculty involved in research and new product development. I am very proud to have been elected chairman."

ASTM, one of the country's largest voluntary standards organizations, develops documents to serve as a basis for manufacturing, procurement and regulatory activities. It is comprised of 32,000 members representing producers, users, consumers, and representatives of government and academia, from more than 100 countries.

Fouad has had a distinguished career in the development of construction standards. His research led to the development of national specifications for the design of highway sign structures in 1999 for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. His work also has focused on research and product development of spun prestressed concrete poles and autoclaved aerated concrete.

Fouad is a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute, a Fellow if the American Society of Civil Engineers and a member of the Prestressed Concrete Institute, American Society of Professional Engineers and the American Society of Engineering Education.