The Association of Asphalt Pavers of Slovenia traditionally offers special awards to individuals during the Colloquium on Asphalts, Bitumen, and Roadways for their contribution to the asphalt sector and/or support in the operation of the Association of Asphalt Pavers of Slovenia.
The Board of Directors chose to offer seven awards to commemorate ZAS’s 25th anniversary, which we celebrated this year. Two awards for the best master’s or diploma thesis, four special ZAS awards and the Asphalt Ambassador award.
Awards for the best diploma or master’s theses
We decided on this selection on the advice of prof. Peter Lipar of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Ljubljana, during the ZAS Assembly in June 2020.
We asked the Faculty of Civil Engineering from Ljubljana and Maribor for a set of completed diploma and master’s theses that is classified as a road construction or asphalt task. 10 tasks were received and reviewed by a five-member expert commission appointed by the ZAS Management Board based on the eight criteria listed below.
Rok ROŠER and Darko KOKOT received awards for the best work.
ZAS Special awards
The Board of Directors formed a 5-member commission at its 145th meeting on September 29, 2021, to select four of the nine registered experts to get special ZAS awards and one to be named Asphalt Ambassador, as follows:
ZAS special awards are given to:
mag. RAVNIKAR TURK Mojca, Bachelor of Civil Engineering
She is the head of the Laboratory for Asphalts and Bituminous Products at ZAG Ljubljana, where she is in charge of asphalt paving research and development. Mojca Ravnikar Turk earned her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Civil Engineering in 1988 and her master’s degree from the same faculty in 2016. Despite being a geotechnical expert, she has had tremendous success in the past decade and has established herself in the asphalt industry. She is a member of the Technical Committee for Moisture (SIST/TC VLA) and the director of the Section for Waterproofing at the Slovenian Asphalt Pavement Association, among other activities. She has authored multiple professional articles on bitumen rheology and has participated in ZAS training. Her expert paper, which she authored with her colleagues, was the first Slovenian paper to be selected for public presentation at the last E&E Congress in Madrid in 2020 (2021). Mojca Ravnikar Turk promotes professional work in both ZAG and ZAS, which is why the Slovenian Asphalt Pavement Association has given her a special award.
Irena Fortuna, Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering
Irena Fortuna is a graduate engineer of chemical technology. Since 1998, she has been employed by DRI – Investment Management, where she is the Deputy Head of the Technical Sector. She has worked as a professional associate and consultant in asphalt paving and asphalt technology since the beginning of her career. She is a member of ZAS’s Technical Committee and the Section for Waterproofing, as well as the leader of the expert committee at DRSI, Slovenia’s Directorate for Infrastructure. She was named President of the Asphalt Commission by DARS, the Motorway Company of the Republic of Slovenia, in 2018, where she distinguished herself via an active approach and a variety of ideas.
The Slovenian Asphalt Pavement Association awards her for her contributions to the development of the asphalt industry.
Borut Gostič
He is a university degree economist who is the head of the black program department at the energy corporation PETROL, where he began his career more than 30 years ago. Throughout his career, he has been responsible for bitumen quality and customer satisfaction in a variety of roles. He is a member of the ZAS Technical Committee and has served on the ZAS Management Board for 15 years. He has been a member of the Program and Organizing Committee for the Colloquium on Asphalts, Bitumen, and Pavements since the beginning, or for a total of 24 years.
Due to its professionalism and calm character, Borut is the best possible link between refineries that we do not have in Slovenia and the asphalt industry.
ZAS awards him for his efforts and active engagement in the development of the asphalt industry in Slovenia, as well as his role in the formation of the Slovenian Asphalt Pavement Association.
Dr Carsten Karcher
Carsten Karcher earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany. He obtained his doctorate from the same university in 2004. Since 1999, he has worked at KIT as a research associate, head of the test centre according to German guidelines, and head of the road construction technology department.
Dr Carsten Karcher took over as EAPA’s Technical Director on July 1, 2013, focusing on health, protection, and environmental problems, as well as professional policy. On January 1, 2019, he was appointed Secretary-General of EAPA, the European Asphalt Pavement Association, which he leads very successfully.
He is an active participant in ZAS’s activities in both his roles as Technical Director and Secretary-General of EAPA. When necessary, we meet in Brussels or Slovenia, where Carsten has produced a significant number of professional papers and publications. ZAS awards him for his assistance and support in the operation of the Slovenian asphalt industry and the Slovenian Asphalt Pavement Association.
Four years ago, the ZAS Managing Committee decided to bestow the title of ASPHALT AMBASSADOR, the highest award bestowed by the Slovenian Asphalt Pavement Association, on successful individuals who have demonstrated their ability to advance the mission of the asphalt industry and the ZAS professional organization.
Primož Petrič was the first Asphalt Ambassador at the 16th CABR in 2017, while Borut Willenpart was the second two years ago.
Boris Kalčič is the ASPHALT AMBASSADOR for the years 2021-2023.
Boris Kalčič is a mechanical engineer and a graduate economist.
He began his career towards the end of the 1980s in Ljubljana. His craftsmanship and acrobatic skiing, where he was a member of the Yugoslav national team, led him to Carinthia, Austria, in the mid-1990s, where he founded his firm, Interchem, HmbH.
Initially, he supplied numerous chemical and other construction products in this region of Europe. Soon after, he focused on the provision of cellulose fibres and bitumen to the asphalt industry, among other things.
He has consistently supplied the greatest and most innovative products to the market, impressing clients and contractors with his enthusiasm, persuasiveness, and remarkable drive. As a member of ZAS’s Technical Committee and the Committee of Enterprises and Companies, he was frequently involved in professional discussions and provided interesting and useful solutions.
He was a founder member of the Slovenian Asphalt Pavement Association in 1996, and he participated in the organisation of individual meetings, gatherings, and Board of Directors sessions.
Because he operates in Austria, he has frequently served as a liaison between ZAS and GESTRATA, the Austrian asphalt organization with which ZAS has established long-term cooperation.
He made a significant contribution to the development of the Slovenian asphalt industry and the operation of ZAS through his initiatives and activities. That is why ZAS, Slovenian Asphalt Pavement Association, awarded him the following title at the 18th Colloquium on Asphalts and Bitumen in Bled in December 2021:
ASPHALT AMBASSADOR.
