Awards

ASABE CA/NV Section Awards

The ASABE CA/NV Section gives out awards annually in 3 categories:

Engineer of the Year (EOY): Awarded to an Engineer whose work has had significant, positive impact in our Section and the World.

Anniversary Milestone Awards: Awarded for years of ASABE membership, the anniversary milestone awards are given to members with 25, 40, 50, and 60+ years of membership.

Student Poster Competition Awards: Hosted at the Section Meeting each February, the top 3 posters in the undergraduate and graduate student categories are awarded a $300, $150, and $75 cash prize and are chosen by meeting attendees.

These awards are presented at the Section’s Annual Meeting, traditionally held on the second Wednesday each February. At this meeting, the Section also recognizes members who have received other ASABE awards and distinctions such as the AE50 Award.

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2022 Award Winners

Engineer of the Year: Bryan Jenkins, PhD (UC Davis Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department)

Bio to follow soon.

Anniversary Milestone Awards 

• 65 Years: William DeTar and John Siemens
• 50 Years: Anthony La Fetra, Harvey White, Eugene Mandere, and James Floyd
• 40 Years: Michael Delwiche, Steven Dragt, and Laurence Kimura,
• 25 Years: Julius Olabode, Uriel Rosa, and Victor Duraj

Student Poster Competition Winners

• UNDERGRADUATE
  • 1st Place ($300): Bryce Alonso (CalPoly SLO)
    • Title: SCADA Operated Weir Gate — Sensor Calibration
  • 2nd Place ($150): Dominic Schmiel (CalPoly SLO) 
    • Title: Autonomous Tree Caliper Measurements in Nurseries
  • 3rd Place ($75): Patrick Stodden (CalPoly SLO)
    • Title: Diesel Engine Horsepower Efficiency
• GRADUATE
  • 1st ($300): Alice Dien (UC Davis)
    • Title: Design of a research-scale forced convection vertical dryer with variable inlet conditions
  • 2nd ($150): Nicolas Floyid (UC Davis) 
    • Title: Modeling the impact of Salinity on Crop Production and Economic Returns
  • 3rd Place ($75): N/A
    • Title: N/A

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2021 Award Winners

Engineer of the Year: Edward M. Norum, P.E. (CSU Fresno Center for Irrigation Technology)

Edward Norum graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1953 with a degree in Agricultural Engineering. While still in college, he met a recruiter for the Hawaiian Sugar Planter’s Association (HSPA) Experiment Station and shortly after graduation boarded a Boeing Stratocruiser headed to Honolulu, Hawai’i. For 68+ years, Norum has worked on engineering and irrigation projects in over 20 countries and the United States, including 35 years in California. He served as the first director of the Center for Irrigation Technology (CIT) at California State University, Fresno where he is still active in research, testing, and standards work. Norum holds four patents with the most recent patent issued in 2020 for a drip line hydrocyclone.

Anniversary Milestone Awards 

• 60+ Years: Wesley E. Yates (72), John R. Goss (70), Robert B. Skromme (70), Wiley H. Henson Jr. (69), Bill A. Stout (67), William R. DeTar (64), John C. Siemens (64), Donaldson S. Taylor (62), and Edward M. Norum (60)
• 40 Years: Satyansu Kundu and William W. Seiders
• 25 Years: Wendy J. Powers

Student Poster Competition Winners

• UNDERGRADUATE
  • 1st Place ($300): Dante Panattoni (Cal Poly SLO)
    • Title: Calibration of Almond Properties Using Discrete Element Method (DEM)
  • 2nd Place ($150): Minxin Li (Cal Poly SLO)
    • Title: Robotic Control of Yellow Starthistle
  • 3rd Place ($75): N/A
    • Title: N/A
• GRADUATE
  • 1st ($300): Guilherme De Moura Araujo (UC Davis)
    • Title: Ability of Youth Operators to Activate Agricultural All Terrain Vehicle’s Main Controls
  • 2nd ($150): Ismael Mayanja (UC Davis)
    • Title: Development of a Stockpile Hot and Ambient Air Dryer (SHAD) for Freshly Harvested Almonds
  • 3rd Place ($75): Alice Dien (UC Davis)
    • Title: Evaluation of the Performance of an Industrial-Scale Dessicant-Based System for Agricultural Commodities
  • 4th Place ($75): Allan Chio (UC Davis)
    • Title: Production & Application of Compost Products from Dairy Manure for Improving Health & Fertility in Almond Orchards

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2020 Award Winners

Engineer of the Year: Paul Burkner, P.E. (Ag Industrial Manufacturing)

Paul was awarded the CA/NV Section Engineering of the Year Award for service to the members and especially Students of the CA/NV Section. His strong support and effort were invaluable in getting the Inaugural Student Rally off the ground. His company, Ag Industrial Manufacturing, was a key sponsor of the event, hosted a day of activities in Lodi, CA, and has long been a sponsor of our Section. Paul has also been a great voice for our Section in the Society, representing us as a member of the the ASABE Board of Trustees.

Anniversary Milestone Awards 

• 60+ Years: Wesley E. Yates (71), John R. Goss (69), Willey H. Henson Jr (68), Bill A. Stout (66), John C. Siemens (63), William R. DeTar (63), and Donaldson S. Taylor (61)
• 50 Years: Reid Borgwardt, Benjamin R. Olson, and Vashek Cervinka
• 40 Years: Durham K. Giles, Raymond Marala, and Shrinivasa K. Upadhayaya

Student Poster Competition Winners

• UNDERGRADUATE
  • 1st ($250): Emma Gray (Cal Poly SLO)
    • Title: Operation of Pressure Relief and Surge Control Valves Related to Water Hammer
  • 2nd ($100): Grace Speth (Cal Poly SLO)
    • Title: Variable Frequency Drives for Pump Control
• GRADUATE
  • 1st ($250): Aldo Garcia (CSU Fresno)
    • Title: Optimizing Water and Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Processing Tomatoes
  • 2nd ($100): Hossein Edalati (UC Davis)
    • Title: The Impact of a Weeping Wall on the Mitigation of Methane Emissions from a Dairy Manure Lagoon in CA

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Past Award Winners

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