Agricultural News
OSU Emeritus Professor Ron Elliot Receives National Engineering Award
Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:57:55 CDT
Oklahoma State University emeritus professor Ron Elliott has been named the 2011 recipient of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers' John Deere Gold Medal Award.
Considered to be one of the organization's most prestigious honors, Elliott was selected in recognition of his "distinguished leadership contributions" in soil and water engineering as an academic leader, educator, researcher and extender of knowledge, as well as his service to ASABE and other professional organizations.
"I've known Ron for many years, and the John Deere Gold Medal Award is a testament to the influential impact he has had on our profession," said Dan Thomas, head of the OSU Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering.
Elliott, who served as department head from 2001-2010, joined the OSU Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (DASNR) as a faculty member in 1981, going on to teach at the undergraduate and graduate levels and conduct a variety of interdisciplinary research projects.
His research focused on soil-water-plant-atmosphere relations, evapotranspiration, automated weather networks, crop growth modeling and irrigation water management.
He was a key contributor to the Oklahoma Mesonet, a pioneering statewide network of automated weather stations that today is internationally recognized as a premier observation network and is cited as the gold standard by the National Research Council.
"Dr. Elliott has been recognized with numerous awards for his work over the years, including an American Meteorological Society Special Award for the Oklahoma Mesonet," said Robert E. Whitson, DASNR vice president, dean and director. "His receiving the ASABE John Deere Gold Medal Award certainly ranks among the most esteemed and significant."
A 37-year member of ASABE, Elliott's professional affiliations also include the American Society for Engineering Education, National Society of Professional Engineers, Oklahoma Society of Professional Engineers and the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. He is a member of four honorary societies.
Elliott has authored or co-authored more than 135 refereed journal articles, proceedings and technical publications and has co-edited one book.
"Dr. Elliott was one of the division's true team players, always setting lofty goals and maintaining the highest standards as he worked to accomplish them, individually or in partnership with division faculty, staff, students and stakeholders," said Bob Westerman, DASNR assistant vice president for program support.
Westerman said Elliott was as popular as he was proficient. "People wanted to work with Ron Elliott," he said.
Elliott earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in agricultural engineering from the University of Illinois in 1973 and 1974, respectively. He earned his doctoral degree in agricultural engineering from Colorado State University in 1981.
ASABE is an international scientific and educational organization dedicated to the advancement of engineering as it applies to agricultural, food and biological systems. The organization boasts approximately 9,000 members hailing from more than 100 nations.
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