Dr. Dan Turner has devoted his entire professional career to the education and development of young people. He became a member of the University of Alabama chapter of Chi Epsilon in 1967 and graduated with his BSCE in 1968. Following that, he earned his MSCE in 1970. He received his PhD in civil engineering in the field of transportation at Texas A&M University in 1980.

He volunteered to serve his country as a civil engineer officer in the US Air Force from 1969-1973. After leaving the service, he began a remarkable 35-year career in academia, beginning as an assistant professor of civil engineering technology at Georgia Southern College from 1973 to 1976. He and a colleague owned and operated a successful surveying firm: Turner-Meadows Land Surveying.

Dr. Turner returned to the University of Alabama in 1976 as an assistant and then associate professor of civil engineering technology. He served as the interim director of engineering technology from 1981 to 1983. He continued as the Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from 1984 to 2000. He was the founding director of the University Transportation Center for Alabama (UTCA) and served in that capacity until 2005. From 2005 to 2007, he was the director of the UTCA and of the University Homeland Security Institute for Alabama. He served the university and department as a professor until he was named an Emeritus Professor in 2009.

Dr. Turner is an internationally recognized leader in transportation safety research and education. He has managed in excess of $17M in externally funded research, is the author of two books, forty referred journal papers, and over 200 other articles and reports. He has directed over 60 short courses and conferences. His service to the profession has led to him serving as the president of ASCE and the southern district of the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

Dr. Turner started his service to fellow students and Chi Epsilon as a member of the team that installed the chapter at Louisiana State University. He served as the Faculty Advisor for the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa chapter of Chi Epsilon for 8 years. In 1984, he was named Teacher of the Year for the College of Engineering and the Outstanding Professor at the University of Alabama, receiving the Blackman-Moody Award, in 1991. He received the T. Morris Hackney Leadership Award from the College of Engineering in 1998, and was named Outstanding Alumni Volunteer in 2000.

Dr. Turner was elevated to Chapter Honor Member of the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa chapter on April 7, 2009. Chi Epsilon was honored to elevated Dr. Daniel S. Turner as National Honor Member at the 41st National Conclave at the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa on March 13, 2010.