Jack Buffington Outstanding Student Poster Award
In Memoriam · 1938–2026
This award honors Rear Admiral Jack E. Buffington, a University of Arkansas civil engineering graduate who served 34 years in the Navy Civil Engineer Corps. He rose to Commander of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command and Chief of Civil Engineers, and his many decorations included two Navy Distinguished Service Medals.
After retiring from the Navy in 1995, Admiral Buffington returned to the University of Arkansas as a research professor in civil engineering and led the Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center for 13 years. A member of the National Academy of Engineering, he was honored four times for outstanding service to students. MarTREC remembers him with gratitude for his leadership and his lasting commitment to the next generation of transportation professionals.
2025 Winners
Seven students competed at the annual October Advisory Board Meeting. Each winner received a $1,000 scholarship.
- First place: Zaidur Rahman
“Smart Waterways: A Retrieval-Augmented AI Framework for Vessel Tracking and Decision Support” - Second place: Shantonu Mitra
“Developing Optimization Methods for Maritime Escort Strategies for Littoral and Chokepoint Shipping Lanes” - Third place: Josiah Entner
“Bracing for Impact: Developing Steel-Concrete Sandwich Panel Retrofits for Increased Bridge Pier Protection”
Past Winners
2024 · 17 competitors
Top Three Posters
- First place: Mohammad Tahir Ansari, civil engineering
“Lab Calibration Study for Implementing Asphalt Balanced Mix Design for the State of Arkansas” - Second place: Toluwanimi Ogundipe, civil engineering
“Assessing the Effect of Material Properties on Full Depth Reclamation Mixtures via Compressive Strength Characterization” - Third place: Callie Clark, civil engineering
“Understanding Friction, Adhesion, and Bearing Load Transfer through Headed Shear Connectors in Composite Steel Bridges”
Pictured: Mohammad Tahir Ansari, civil engineering graduate student, and Lorie Tudor, then Director of the Arkansas Department of Transportation
2023
“Modeling Dynamic Behavior of Navigable Inland Waterways”
Fan Bu
Ph.D. student, industrial engineering · Advisor: Dr. Heather Nachtmann
Pictured: Heather Nachtmann, Fan Bu (poster winner) and Jack Buffington
2019
“Data Simulation for Interdependence Modeling, Coordination and Emergency Response with Application in Multimodal Transportation”
Basem Alkheel
Ph.D. student, industrial engineering · Advisor: Dr. Haitao Liao
Pictured: Jack Buffington, Heather Nachtmann, Basem Alkheel (poster winner), Jose Carlos Hernandez Azucena and Kevin Hall
2018
“Trade-Off Analytics for Infrastructure Preservation”
Eddie Gallarno and Ashley Johnson
Industrial engineering students · Advisors: Dr. Greg Parnell and Dr. Ed Pohl
Pictured: Eddie Gallarno (poster winner), Ashley Johnson and Kevin Hall
2017
“Corrosion-Tolerant Pre-Stressed CFRP Fatigue Retrofits for Improved Waterway Lock Reliability”
Maggie Langston and Christine Lozano
Civil engineering students · Advisor: Dr. Gary Prinz
Pictured: Kevin Hall, Maggie Langston, Christine Lozano (poster winner), Jack Buffington and Heather Nachtmann
2016
“Efficient Dredging Strategies for Improving Transportation Infrastructure Resilience”
Khatereh Ahadi
Ph.D. student, industrial engineering · Advisor: Dr. Kelly Sullivan
Pictured: Heather Nachtmann, Khatereh Ahadi and Jack Buffington
2015
“Alkali-Silica Reactions in Arkansas”
Richard Deschenes Jr.
Graduate student, civil engineering · Advisor: Dr. Micah Hale
Pictured: Heather Nachtmann, Richard Deschenes Jr., Jack Buffington and Kevin Hall
2014
“Alkali-Silica Reactions in Arkansas”
Richard Deschenes Jr.
Graduate student, civil engineering · Advisor: Dr. Micah Hale
Pictured: Heather Nachtmann, Richard Deschenes Jr., Kevin Hall and Jack Buffington