UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. —  Eric Chase, a researcher with the Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute’s Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies (CDGRS), has been appointed to the Standing Committee on Low-Volume Roads (AFB30), as selected by the Transportation Research Board (TRB). He will serve on the TRB committee from April 15, 2020, through April 14, 2023. 

“At the CDGRS, we focus exclusively on education, outreach and research related to low-volume roads,” said Chase. “My research focuses on sediment and dust generation from unpaved low-volume roads, which aligns perfectly with the focus of the committee.” 

Chase has partnered with numerous outside organizations through the years, including the United States Forest Service, Susquehanna River Basin Commission, United States Geological Survey and the Trout Unlimited. His research has explored an array of topics, including the use of roadside ditches to treat farm field runoff and the effectiveness of driving surface aggregate for use on federal lands. 

Currently, Chase’s research focuses on emerging road issues such as the environmental and health impacts of spreading oil- and gas-produced waters on roads. In collaboration with faculty members in the Penn State Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chase has been exploring water treatment methods and their effectiveness for dust suppression — a laboratory method which was ultimately accepted for publication by the TRB.

Chase became involved with the TRB in 2015, when the CDGRS served as the local host for the 11th International Conference on Low-Volume Roads, held in Pittsburgh. However, the recent appointment to the TRB Standing Committee is a first for Chase. 

“I’m fairly new to the study of low-volume roads and am looking forward to learning from committee members who have spent their careers studying and researching them,” Chase said. “I hope to gain new connections and new perspective on low-volume roads throughout the country and around the world. I also hope to bring our 20 years of experience here in Pennsylvania to other practitioners.”

To view a list of Penn State employees serving as TRB committee members or affiliates, please visit the online directory. 

The Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute is Penn State’s transportation research center. Since its founding in 1968, the Larson Institute has maintained a threefold mission of research, education and service. The institute brings together top faculty, world-class facilities and enterprising students from across the University in partnership with public and private stakeholders to address critical transportation-related problems.