Aurora

Bridge Engineering Center (BEC) Structure and Infrastructure Engineer Alice Alipour recently earned the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Le Val Lund Practice Award for Lifeline Risk Reduction.

The award may be made annually to an individual who has made a definite contribution to the practice of reducing risks to lifeline systems—including water, power, gas and liquid fuels, communication, transportation, and sewage infrastructure—and preparing communities for natural and manmade hazards. It was established to honor Le Val Lund, a recognized expert on protecting urban lifelines from natural and manmade disasters.

Per the award citation, Alipour is credited for “her visionary leadership, pioneering research, and steadfast commitment to translating science into practice” and how her “work integrates technical innovation, stakeholder collaboration, and practical solutions to reduce risks to critical lifeline systems while empowering the next generation of engineers.”

She said she is “honored and deeply grateful” to receive the award and thanked her “collaborators, mentors, and partners” who make her work possible.

“This recognition is especially meaningful to me because, beyond the fundamental research and technical work I do for risk reduction in lifelines, a large part of my effort is dedicated to working closely with stakeholders, end users, and infrastructure owners to ensure that this work translates into practical, everyday decision-making and real-world impact,” Alipour said.

She continued, “For me, advancing resilience is not only about developing new knowledge, it is about making that knowledge accessible, actionable, and useful for the communities and systems that depend on it.”