Student spotlight: Arturo F. Espinoza-Luque

Arturo F. Espinoza-Luque is a recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who is now working as an engineering associate at Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. right near his alma mater. Arturo is part of APTech’s State and National Agencies Group, where he develops research reports, carries out field surveys, and designs and analyses pavements.

Before his time at APTech, Arturo was a graduate research assistant at Illinois Center for Transportation. He worked on several research projects, including Project R27-189, “Evaluation of Data Trends and Variability in the QCP and PFP Programs,” which is still active. He also evaluated hot-mix asphalt behavior under diverse aging settings by performing more than 100 tests, including the performance grading test, complex modulus test, Hamburg Wheel test, and the Illinois Flexibility Index Test.

Arturo’s thesis, “Laboratory Assessment of Asphalt Concrete Durability Utilizing Balance Mix Design,” focused on evaluating cracking and permanent deformation performance.

“The objective behind this research was to compare the applicability of the proposed Illinois Balanced Mix Design using different types of mix designs and aging conditions, and using rejuvenators as a potential durability enhancer,” Arturo said. “The motivation behind this research was an increasing demand to improve and prolong the durability of asphalt pavements while also dealing with diminishing budgets, reduced availability of quality raw material, and an increased focus on project sustainability.”

Arturo also co-authored several technical papers and reports while at ICT.

Prior to working at ICT, Arturo was operations manager at the Cadena Construction Group in Tijuana, Mexico. He also spent time as a business analyst for Banamex – Citigroup in Mexico City, Mexico.

Just this past May, Arturo graduated with a Master of Science in civil engineering from UIUC, where he focused his studies on transportation under the direction of professors Imad Al-Qadi and Hasan Ozer. He also has two Bachelor of Science degrees in mechanical engineering, one from Politecnico di Milano in Italy and the other from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in Mexico, where he also spent two years as a teaching assistant.

Arturo was a 2017 IAPA Scholarship recipient. He speaks four languages, his native Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Italian.