Keynote Speakers

Dr. Mahoney’s current interests include use of the Internet as a delivery system for collaboration including training, self-directed learning tools, and development and use of online databases for pavement applications. More recently, an additional focus is the use of transportation infrastructure for renewable energy production. He is currently the Director of the Transportation and Construction Program in his department at the University of Washington and co-Director of the Distance Learning Masters of Construction Engineering (an online graduate degree program) and the Distance Learning Masters of Renewable Energy Infrastructure (which starts January 2011). Earlier he was the Director of the Washington State Transportation Center (1991-1993), Acting Chair of CEE (1990), and held the Osberg Professorship from 1992 to 1999 and the Conner Professorship as of 2009.

He is currently an International Fellow at CSIR—Pretoria, South Africa. In 1997, he was featured in a Transportation Research Board profile in TRNews. He currently serves on various national committees mostly associated with the Transportation Research Board and the National Center for Asphalt Technology. He has performed research for the Washington State Department of Transportation, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Forest Service, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, the Swedish Road Administration, and various agencies and firms though private sector activities. He has won five national paper awards for research including the K.B. Woods Award (TRB) four times (1985, 1987, 2002, and 2005) and the Emmons Award (Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists) once. In 2003 he won the Ronald D. Kenyan Research and Education Award from the National Asphalt Pavement Association. During 2005, he won the national R1.edu award for his contribution to online learning (along with Steve Muench also at the University of Washington). During September 2003, he and Steve Muench won the Premier Award from the National Engineering Education Delivery System for their work in the development of the WSDOT Pavement Guide Interactive. He also received the Outstanding Educator Award, College of Engineering, University of Washington, for 2005. In November 2006, he received the Outstanding Associate Member award from the Washington Asphalt Pavement Association. In June 2008, his department awarded him the Outstanding Mentor Award for AY 2007-2008. He won the Outstanding Instructor award from the ASCE Student Chapter some years earlier (1985). He is one of four founding members for Pavia Systems which specializes in online training for the construction industry and serves on the Board of Directors. .

Dr. Ishitani graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Engineering in 1964 and received a Ph.D. in 1969. He joined the Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science, the University of Tokyo in 1969 and moved to the Faculty of Engineering in 1989 until 2002 as a Professor in the Department of Geosystem engineering, until 2008, he was a professor of Graduate School of Media and Governance at Keio University.

He is currently the President of the Japan Society of Energy and Resources, Representative Director of New Energy Promotion Council and Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo.