Ray Sterling has been awarded the NASTT Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Lifetime Service and the ISTT Gold Medal.

The Gold Medal is awarded, when appropriate, to individuals who are deemed to have made an outstanding and exceptional individual contribution to Trenchless Technology. The award is given rarely – previously only four times so far in the ISTT's 23-year history – relating specifically to individual contributions judged to have met ‘outstanding’ and ‘exceptional’ criteria.

In presenting the medal, ISTT Chairman Dec Downey described Dr Sterling’s many accomplishments and attributes that made him worthy of this special recognition.

Dr Downey said “As Chair of ISTT Ray’s innovative streak and great diplomacy resulted in a fundamental restructuring of the way ISTT conducted its business and a significant expansion in membership participation in the Society’s decision making.

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“During his tenure as Vice-Chair and Chair of ISTT, Ray served as the unofficial ambassador of ISTT visiting just about every member society at least once. Since he stepped down as Chair, Ray has been ever generous with his time and always on hand available to guide his successors through the more tricky moments in [our] unfolding history.”

Dr Sterling told Trenchless International that although most of his career has been in underground construction, in the past 14 years he has focused on trenchless techniques. He said he was extremely honoured to receive both prestigious awards.

Dr Sterling is a past Chairman of the ISTT and NASTT. He has authored hundreds of books and papers and has held the position of CETF Professor of Civil Engineering and Director of the Trenchless Technology Centre (TTC) at Louisiana Tech University since 1995. The TTC is a centre of excellence in the College of Engineering Science, acting as a catalyst for education and research activities in the area of Trenchless Technology across the college. For the past decade, Dr Sterling has served as a senior editor of the international journal Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology.

Apart from Trenchless Technology, Dr Sterling’s areas of specialisation include underground construction, utilisation of underground space, geomechanics and building science and energy efficiency.

In presenting the NASTT Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Lifetime Service, NASTT Chairman Chris Brahler said “Ray has been a tireless champion of Trenchless Technology. He has been a pillar of the industry. Ray has been involved in one way or another over the years in so many trenchless events and has really been instrumental in shaping the trenchless industry as we know it today.”

Dr Sterling has been a tireless champion of Trenchless Technology. He has been a pillar of the industry.