Founding Member Bert Clemmens Receives USCID Irrigation Award
Bert Clemmens
November 4, 2009 — AAWRE founding member, Albert J. Clemmens, Ph.D., P.E., D.WRE, received the 9th United States Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (USCID) Merriam Improved Irrigation Award in recognition of his distinguished service to USCID and the irrigation profession at the USCID 5th International Conference on Irrigation and Drainage held in Salt Lake City.
Dr. Clemmens is the Center Director for the USDA Arid Land Agricultural Research Center in Maricopa, Arizona, and served on AAWRE's Task Committee and eventually the AAWRE Board since AAWRE's inception in 2004. Dr. Clemmens made vital contributions in devising and implementing policies and guidelines for the AAWRE program- served as chair of the admissions committee and played a vital role in developing guidelines in the candidates' admissions process.
Dr. Clemmens has more than 30 years of extensive experience in all aspect of water conservation in irrigated agriculture through research, technology transfer, and consultancies. Bert is best known for his research on improving surface irrigation through simulation modeling and design, software for design and calibration of flumes and weirs for flow measurement, methods for improving the operation of irrigation water delivery systems to provide better service to users through such things as canal automation, and the application of statistics to describing irrigation uniformity at field and district scales. In addition, his experience includes multidisciplinary evaluations of irrigation project performance, district water balances, development and application of water conservation practices and policies, and criteria for water user organizations. Much of his research has focused on the use of computer technology for design and operation of irrigation systems. He has more than 280 professional publications.
Bert was Director of the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory (USDA-ARS) from 1998 to 2006, when it was relocated to Maricopa, AZ and merged with the Western Cotton Lab. In 1999, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the U.S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, where he served until 2004. He was the first chairman of the Irrigation and Drainage Council of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute and is a founding member of EWRI. Dr. Clemmens has been active in technical committees within ASCE and other societies and has received several significant awards, including the 2005 ASCE's Royce J. Tipton career achievement award for irrigation and drainage and the 2006 ASABE's Award for Advancement of Surface Irrigation. Within Arizona, he is a member of the Governor's Advisory Committee on Agricultural Best Management Practices. Bert is an alumnus of Arizona State University, where he received his Bachelors and Masters in Civil Engineering and his Doctoral in Industrial Engineering.
Bert Clemmens is presented the Merriam Improved Irrigation
Award plaque from USCID President, Mark Svendsen.
Bert reflected on his personal involvement with USCID and his thoughts on receiving this award:
"I joined USCID in 1980. Other than attending the meeting, my first activity with USCID was setting up lectures for some courses run by the American Water Foundation in 1988. AWF was a spin off from USCID that no longer exists. I did some work on USCID committees in the late 1990's. I was elected to the Board of Directors in 1999, and served until 2004.
John Merriam was a champion for improving irrigation systems to help farmers, particularly for providing flexibility in water delivery. He inspired me early in my career and I have not forgotten his message to consider the farmers first, when recommending irrigation system improvements. It is an honor to receive an award set up in recognition of John."
The Award is given annually to a member of USCID who has made meritorious contributions to the advancement, understanding or attainment of the goals and objectives of USCID, the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, and/or the Fund For Furthering Flexible Irrigation. The award can also be made to a USCID member for outstanding achievement during many years of distinguished service, or for specific actions that have served to advance the goals and objectives of USCID, ICID and/or the Fund For Furthering Flexible Irrigation. The Award may be bestowed to an individual, a group of individuals, an organization or an agency.
This Award was instituted in 1999 by USCID and endowed by the late John L. Merriam, Professor Emeritus, California Polytechnic State University, through the Merriam Endowment for Irrigation and Water Management Fund for Furthering Flexible Irrigation. The objective of the Fund is to facilitate the worldwide distribution of information and applications concerning the value of flexible irrigation water supply and distribution systems and their utilization, especially to facilitate surface irrigation methods and upgraded on-farm water management. Professor Merriam devoted his engineering and teaching career to improving irrigation practices throughout the world, stressing the concept of a flexible irrigation supply. The Award consists of a plaque or similar token of recognition.
The Mission of the United States Committee on Irrigation and Drainage is to foster sustainable, socially acceptable and environmentally responsible irrigation, drainage and flood control systems and practices for providing food, clothing and shelter to the people of the United States and the World. USCID is a nonprofit professional society whose members share an interest in the planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of irrigation, drainage and flood control works; agricultural economics; water law; and environmental and social issues affecting irrigated agriculture.
USCID is the United States member organization to the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage.
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