NRMCA’s Obla Receives Prestigious ASTM Award; Cited for Enhancement of Cement and Concrete Technology Standards
Alexandria, VA – December 15, 2022
The ASTM Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates has presented the Katharine and Bryant Mather Member Contribution Award to NRMCA Vice President, Technical Services, Karthik Obla. Dr. Obla was cited for his outstanding contributions in pioneering standards for pervious concrete as well as many contributions to supplementary cementitious materials, chemical reactions, ready mixed concrete, self-consolidating concrete, concrete’s resistance to fluid penetration, and the enhancement of cement and concrete technology standards.
The award was presented at the ASTM International December Committee Week held in early December in New Orleans.
The C09 Katharine and Bryant Mather Member Contribution Award is a Society Recognized Committee C09 Award presented not more than once in two years to an ASTM Committee C09 member who has contributed through technical excellence or other significant service to enhance standards development for concrete technology.
Dr. Obla joined NRMCA in 2003 from his previous employment as a technical manager with Boral Material Technologies in San Antonio, TX. He holds a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, is the author of book titled Improving Concrete Quality, and has chaired many ACI and ASTM committees and technical sessions. At NRMCA, he is responsible for concrete producer quality initiatives, research projects at the NRMCA Research Laboratory, and oversees various educational programs and technical publications.
“His list of subcommittee membership is lengthy and includes 09.24 – Supplementary Cementitious Materials, 09.26 – Chemical Reactions, 09.40 – Ready Mixed Concrete, 09.47 – Self Consolidating Concrete, 09.49 – Pervious Concrete (chairman), 09.66 – Concrete’s Resistance to Fluid Penetration, and 09.95 – Coordination. Under his leadership and as chairman of 09.49 for Pervious Concrete, the subcommittee developed, in a very short period of time, three ASTM standard test methods for the measurement of pervious concrete physical and performance properties,” said Steve Parker, ASTM Member Contribution Award chairman, during the awards ceremony. “If anyone ever deserved the C09 Katharine and Bryant Mather Member Contribution Award it is Karthik Obla. His contributions to ASTM C09 and to the concrete industry as a whole have been enormous and impactful.”
ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, is an international standards organization that develops and publishes technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems and services, including ready mixed concrete and cement. It is headquartered in West Conshohocken, PA.