A West Virginia University engineering professor will lead a program that provides training and technical assistance for highway maintenance and safety workers throughout the state.

John P. Zaniewski , a professor of civil and environmental engineering in WVU s College of Engineering and Mineral Resources , has been named director of the West Virginia Local Technical Assistance Program .

Our goal is to fostera safe and efficient transportation system that enhances economic development in West Virginia,Zaniewski said.I am looking forward to contributing to this important effort, which brings advanced transportation technologies from around the world to the local level in West Virginia.

The program is part of a network of similar organizations throughout the nation. It is housed in the WVU Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and funded by the Federal Highway Administration and West Virginia Department of Transportation.

In addition to training and technical assistance for roadway workers, the program disseminates information on the management of transportation infrastructure to local governments.

Zaniewski joined the WVU faculty in 1996. He is active in research in the area of advanced materials, with a special interest in asphalt materials, pavement design, pavement management and highway construction.

He has published extensively in the areas of pavement design, materials and management systems, including co-authoring two textbooks,Modern Pavement ManagementandMaterials for Civil and Construction Engineering.

Zaniewski earned bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1972, 1974 and 1978, respectively.

More on the Net: www.ltap.wvu.edu or www.cee.cemr.wvu.edu