ASTM Geosynthetics Committee Honors David Suits

W. CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. — 28 March 2014 — ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has established a new award in honor of L. David Suits, executive director of the North American Geosynthetic Society, Albany, N.Y. The award recognizes Suits’ long-term service and commitment to the committee and to the geosynthetic community at large.
Suits is the inaugural recipient of the award. In the future, the L. David Suits Award will recognize and honor distinguished individuals who, like Suits, have shown extensive commitment to the geosynthetic field through exemplary technical, practical or administrative contributions that have resulted in a significant leap-forward of knowledge, testing, testing equipment or products. Award recipients do not have to be members of Committee D35.
A dedicated ASTM International member for more than 36 years, Suits is a founding member of Committee D35, has served two six-year terms as D35 chairman, and currently chairs Subcommittee D35.03 on Permeability and Filtration. He also works on Committees D04 on Road and Paving Materials and D18 on Soil and Rock, leading the D18 subcommittee on the ASTM Geotechnical Testing Journal, where he is a co-editor. Suits, who has also served terms on the ASTM Standing Committees on Publications and Technical Committee Operations, has received several standards development and service awards from D18 and D35, including the D18 A. Ivan Johnson Outstanding Achievement Award and the Award of Merit and title of fellow, ASTM’s highest organizational recognition for individual contributions to standards activities, from D35.
Suits specializes in soils and geosynthetics testing. He was employed by the New York State Department of Transportation for 37 years, holding various positions of increasing responsibility, including assistant soils engineer and soil mechanics laboratory supervisor, where he oversaw the performance of all foundation design testing done in conjunction with the department’s $1 billion design and construction program. In 2005, he retired from NYSDOT and became executive and managing director of the North American Geosynthetics Society, a group that provides leadership for the advancement of education and research in geosynthetics.
Outside ASTM International, Suits is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers Geo-Institute, the International Geosynthetics Society and the Transportation Research Board. He has authored or co-authored more than 28 articles and papers on geosynthetics. Suits holds a master’s degree in geotechnical engineering and a bachelor’s in civil engineering from Clarkson University, Potsdam. N.Y.
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