Barbecue spices up open house

Award-winning barbecue spiced up the Fall 2018 Transportation Group Open House on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. Dozens of staff, faculty, and students invited their family members to celebrate the start of the new semester at the Advanced Transportation Research and Engineering Laboratory. 

Illinois Center for Transportation Director Imad Al-Qadi introduced new students to transportation faculty members, including Professor Emeritus Marshall Thompson, one of the leading experts in soil, pavement, and materials.

As for the food, ICT Senior Sustainability Implementation Engineer David Lippert is the man behind the smoker! Lippert has been mixing up lip-smackin’ BBQ in his backyard since 1999 and has been making sauces professionally since 2010.

Lippert has helped cater many ICT social events the past few years. In that time, he says he has tried to accommodate all types of dietary preferences, expanding beyond traditional beef, pork, and poultry barbecue to encompass the dietary needs of staff, faculty, and students at the university.

“With more people adopting a vegetarian life style, barbecue might seem out of place for some, but I have attempted to meet this challenge by adding grilled veggies and smoked teriyaki tofu as alternatives, plus vegetarian sides. Even traditional meat and potato types are giving tofu a try and enjoying it.” Lippert said.