NC State Engineering

Help us congratulate Richard Kim! He is the 2026 recipient of the University of North Carolina System’s O. Max Gardner Award for his contributions to improving roadway infrastructure around the world.

The O. Max Gardner Award recognizes faculty who have “made the greatest contribution to the welfare of the human race.” It is the highest honor the UNC System’s Board of Governors confers on faculty and is the only award for which all faculty members across the 17 campuses are eligible. Kim, who is a professor in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, is the 33rd faculty member from NC State to receive the award.

One of the world’s leading scholars on asphalt pavement, Kim is recognized for his performance modeling and test method innovations that extend the life of highways, reduce costs, decrease environmental impacts, increase safety and improve the daily lives of millions.

For decades, Milliken Textile Protection and Comfort Center's PyroMan™ system has simulated flash fire conditions by engulfing an instrumented manikin in flames to measure the performance of protective garments. That testing has provided critical data for industries ranging from firefighting to industrial safety, but it has always represented a controlled, stationary scenario.

All of that changes with Dynamic PyroMan™.

The newly patented manikin can move, simulating a slow run, while exposed to flames that exceed 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000 degrees Celsius). That motion introduces a different level of realism, allowing researchers to observe garments’ behavior under conditions that more closely mirror real-world scenarios.

“If you think about the Los Angeles Fire that occurred a couple years ago, those firefighters had to work their way out of the fire, and they were exposed for a long duration,” Morton-Aslanis says. “They weren’t just standing there. They were moving. Their jackets were moving. Think about when you’re running, what happens to your shirt? Does it ride up? What happens to your pants? Do they ride up? All of these are things we can’t account for with a static manikin, and that’s what the firefighters are exposed to.”

This capability allows researchers to assess not only fabric performance, but also the integrity of closures, seams, zippers, fasteners and overall design during motion. In some cases, garments that appear intact in static testing may behave very differently once subjected to movement.

"When I came for the open house, I remember one of the CBE ambassadors talking about how the community is very strong here, but I thought it was something schools say to bring you in. But I think my favorite part of our department is the community that we have."

Newly minted alumna Shirin Mohamed's journey took her from India to Raleigh to Rwanda. While she traveled widely, she knew she always had a home here. http://ncst.at/tRtZ50YXLNB