Academy of Distinguished Alumni
Dennis D. Truax,

The Richard A. Rula School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Mississippi State University

Dennis D. Truax earned his B.S. from Virginia Tech in 1976. He is the James T. White Endowed Chair, Director and Professor of the Richard A. Rula School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Mississippi State University. He also serves as the Director of the Mississippi Transportation Research Center at MSU and will be the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) President in the 2022-2023 term. He has led projects to redesign water and wastewater treatment systems with innovative treatment processes that brought safe potable water to thousands of people in developing countries. “But my proudest accomplishment are the hundreds of individuals I have mentored during the academic and professional careers, helping them to become the next generation of professional engineers who are making a difference in so many people’s lives around the world,” he said. He has been recognized with the Edmund Friedman Professional Recognition Award from ASCE, the Distinguished Service Award by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) and a Fellow of the National Society of Professional Engineers.