Lakshmanan Receives Honorary Degree
T. R. Lakshmanan, a CAS prof. of geography and environment, received an honorary degree from Ohio State University.
T. R. Lakshmanan, a College of Arts and Sciences professor of geography and environment, director of the Center for Transportation Studies, and executive director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies at BU, received an honorary Doctor of Science from his alma mater, Ohio State University, on December 12 during its autumn commencement.
Lakshmanan, whose work in transportation, energy, environmental, housing, and regional planning issues is internationally known, received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Madras in India. He earned a Ph.D. in geography at Ohio State, then worked in the private sector with major consulting firms, addressing urban planning and transportation issues.
He joined the faculty of Johns Hopkins University in 1973, and five years later came to Boston University to chair the department of geography. He established the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies at BU in 1979, the first such center at a U.S. university.
In addition to his academic work, Lakshmanan was appointed director of the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics by President Bill Clinton and has been a consultant to the United Nations, the World Bank, the governments of China, India, New Zealand, and Sweden, among others, and to state and local governments and governmental agencies in the United States. One of his many honors was receiving the Association of American Geographers Anderson Medal in 1989.