RPUG Committee Meeting 3PM to 4PM CST Wednesday, Aug 3, 2011

Agenda RPUG 2011 Updates RPUG 2012 Dates Other Task Group Reports Renewal of NCPP-RPUG Agreement

RPUG 2011 Registration/sponsorship (Patte/Glenn/Doug) Profile pooled fund meeting (Bob) Received abstracts (George) Program/Agenda updates (Steve) Planned awards (Li)

Registration/sponsorship Attendees’ registration Current (13 as of 7/28) Target: 75 Vendors’ registration Current registration (9 as of 7/28) Target: 16 Sponsorship Current Sponsorship (?) Target: $8,000

Program/Agenda Updates on agenda Abstracts Received Current: 17 (as of 7/31) Target: 26 Forums Profiler QA Forum

SMK Comments 1.We seem to have set 40 minutes per talk. That's too much (zzz....). 2.Let's line up the usual stuff - Vendor introductions, talks by the Nevada DOT and regional FHWA person, and a talk by the FHWA about surface characteristics initiatives. 3.Our two listed themes are a bust. We nothing on sustainability and little on measurement QA. Who ever offered those themes must have had some potential speakers in mind. Contact them.

SMK Comments 4.The speaker mix is slanted toward vendors and consultants. By my rough count, we've got 6 vendors, 4 consultants, 3 university folks, and just 4 agency speakers. Is there a way we can get state agency people and contractors to talk about what they're up to, with no abstract needed?

SMK Comments 5.Does anyone recall the panel sessions we did in Iowa in We should define at least one more of those, and get as many state folks to speak as possible. Possible themes are profiler procurement and acceptance, profiler verification for construction quality control, setting incentive/disincentive levels in construction quality assurance, profiling for pavement management, state texturing practices, etc.

SMK Comments 6.There are usual suspects sitting out. Examples are me, John Ferris, and Amy Simpson. It has also been a few years since Emmnual Fernando spoke at an RPUG, and he's doe a lot of profiler testing. I hate to do this to Transtec, since they've already offered two talks, but a talk on SHRP R06(e) would be a great addition to the meeting.

SMK Comments 7.I can do maybe two talks. If it is not too late to offer, I just finished some profile analysis for characterization of slab curl on the Arizona SPS- 2 site with Kevin Senn of Nichols Consulting. We found some important things well worth the audience's time. If needed, I could also speak about one (and only one) of the following: 7a. the new WIM smoothness index and its development; or 7b. smoothness incentive limits (in light of tire imbalance, suspension friction, and the limits of human perception).

SMK Comments 8.AID, Mike Swan and I are involved in a court case in which the validity of a smoothness QA specification is being litigated. The case is still open, but if it wraps up before the RPUG meeting, this would make a GREAT panel session where we could really help states keep their feet out of some bear traps.

SMK Comments 9.We can add educational materials. I could do customize a talk about either (1) the usual Little Book stuff, or (2) some basics of tire/pavement friction from a vehicle dynamicist's point of view. There are several other options (Donovan or Rasmussen on noise, Winkler on the history of tire/pavement friction testing; or folks from the tire industry on pertinent topics). Winkler or the tire guys are long shots, since it's not clear where their travel funds would come from.

RPUG 2011 Awards Outstanding Achievement Award (?) Starr Kohn Scholarship Award (?) Any other ideas?

Task Group E RPUG History Chair: Richard Wix Members: Li Ningyuan Anita Bush

RPUG 2012 Host: MnRoad, MN Oct. 15 to 19 – FHWA profilers (& OBSI?) rodeo Oct. 22 – Profile Pooled Fund Meeting Oct. 23 to 26, 2012 – RPUG conference

NCPP-RPUG Agreement Current agreement expires on Aug. 31, year term (starting on Sept. 1) Ideas for the renewal

Next meeting 3PM to 4PM CDT, Wed., Sept 7, 2011