Wakefield wins Bleeds Black award

Amma Wakefield honoured with OAPC's Bleeds Black Award

by John Provenzano

Ask anyone who knows Amma Wakefield and they will tell you that she asks questions — a lot of questions. Wakefield’s friend and mentor, Dr. Michael Esenwa, will tell you that she should have been a lawyer or a detective. When he sees that it’s Amma calling him on the phone, the first thing he says is, “What’s your question, Amma!”

Wakefield’s inquisitive nature and passion for everything asphalt earned her the 2021 Bleeds Black Award from the Ontario Asphalt Pavement Council. The OAPC award recognizes those individuals who are so dedicated to the asphalt pavement industry that they bleed black. The award was presented virtually during OAPC’s annual Fall Asphalt Seminar this past December.

For someone who asks a lot of questions, Wakefield was speechless when she found out that she had won the prestigious award. “This is such a beautiful surprise to be recognized by my friends and colleagues for doing what I love doing. How can my heart not burst with gratitude?” she says. “And now I get to feel that way every time I look at the beautiful framed art in my office.”

Wakefield has done much in a career that currently spans just 14 years and includes a combination of industry and research experience in materials engineering and pavement design. She started her career as a materials research laboratory and design manager with The Miller Group where she learned an appreciation for the balance between research and real-world application. She has also worked in product development, testing and research positions within the construction industry for several companies, including LaFarge and Aecon. In 2015, she was named as one of Rock to Road’s Top 10 Under 40 winners.

Wakefield recently defended her PhD thesis at McMaster University under the direction of Dr. Susan Tighe, with her research focused on improving the durability of roadway material. In a congratulatory video for the Bleeds Black award, Dr. Tighe spoke highly of Wakefield’s career. “Amma has been involved in the development and application of numerous asphalt technologies and materials. Her knowledge is often sought after for numerous paving projects. On a personal note, I have watched Amma and admired her growth into the professional she is today. She is passionate and her excitement about asphalt is truly infectious,” says Tighe.

Wakefield’s education, research and industry experience led her to become the Asphalt Institute’s first full-time Canadian Regional Engineer in 2018, and she is also the first female regional engineer in the association’s nearly 100-year history. She has led the development of the Asphalt Institute’s pavement certification online course and taught this course in person several times at ORBA’s Road Building Academy. She has authored many technical papers and is a contributor to the Asphalt Institute’s magazine. Wakefield is a key leader in the refinement of the Asphalt Institute’s mix design technology certification course, delivering the in-course material and actively participating in the development and delivery of the exam.

She has experience developing courses and teaching internationally as well, including teaching a two-day course in Fundamentals of Hot Mix Asphalt Design and Quality Control in Road Construction at the Ghana Institute of Engineers in Accra, Ghana. Wakefield has also been a force in the Canadian asphalt industry. She has been involved in the development and application of numerous asphalt technologies and materials. She is also active on various committees within the Transportation Association of Canada, the Canadian User Producer Group for Asphalt, and the Ontario Asphalt Expert Task Force. When it comes to real-world application, Wakefield is often approached for her expertise. She recently appeared on the Documentary Channel’s Secret Nazi Bases as an expert in materials engineering. The episode focused on Heinrich Himmler’s fortified castle. When the camera focuses on her, out come the questions, “Why did he transform a Renaissance castle into a medieval castle? Why did he make the bricks look weathered? Why did he reinforce the castle?” It’s clear she continues to ask questions as a way of finding out more about the world she lives in.