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11th Award (2024)


10th Awards

10th Award (2022)

 

 

 

 

 


Creativity Prize - 10th Award

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CreativityIcon  

The Creativity Prize was shared by two
winning research efforts:

The team of Dr. Thalappil Pradeep
IIT Madras

   

The team of Dr. Dionysios Dionysiou
University of Cincinnati

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Water Management & Protection Prize - 10th Award

Overview

The team of Matthew McCabe (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia)

The work of Dr. McCabe and his team involves employing CubeSat constellations in the sustainable management and security of linked water-food systems, culminating in the highest resolution estimates of agricultural water with global coverage at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions.

Their work shows how a CubeSat constellation with the capacity to monitor the dynamic land surface condition can facilitate not only the detection of vegetation health and condition, but also allow monitoring of natural disasters such as floods, landslides, and earthquakes, the delineation of surface water changes and changes in lake and river extent, or any other application where timely and repeatable information is needed to procure actionable intelligence.

Team members include Bruno Aragon (KAUST) and Rasmus Houborg (Planet Labs, USA).

Winner Profile

Dr. Matthew McCabe

Dr. McCabe is Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Director of the Centre for Watershed Sciences, at the University of California, Davis.


Education:

• 2003 – PhD: University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia (Civil and Environmental Engineering)
• 1997 – BE (Hons); University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia (Environmental Engineering)

Selected Awards:

2016 – Inaugural Planet Ambassador, Planet Labs, San Francisco
2009 – Tall Poppy Award of the Australian Institute of Policy and Sciences (NSW and ACT)
1997 – Australian Institute of Engineers Civil and Structural Branch Prize (Newcastle) for Dux of Final Year Engineering
1997 – Tony Herzog Prize for the Best Engineering Honours Thesis, University of Newcastle, Australia

 

 

Acceptance Speech

dionysios300x300 Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests. It is with immense honor and gratitude that I accept the prestigious Prince Sultan International Prize for Water. The recognition of my team's contribution to Water Management and Protection is a pinnacle moment in my career and I am humbled to be recognized alongside a remarkable group of world-leading researchers who have dedicated their professional lives to the advancement of water science and technology.

First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the sponsors of this award, the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water. Your commitment to recognizing and promoting excellence in water research and innovation is outstanding and shines a light on the critical role that water plays in driving and shaping the future of our world.

I would like to make a special acknowledgement to His Royal Highness Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, who established this internationally important award, and for His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Bin Sultan who continues that legacy as President of the PSIPW Organization. I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of Dr. Badran Al-Omar and all of the esteemed members of the Prize Council, as well as HE Dr AbdulRahman Al Fadley, Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture.

The Prince Sultan International Prize for Water is one of the preeminent global scientific awards. Recognizing the transformative power of water research to shape and advance modern society, it champions efforts that seek solutions to some of the world’s most challenging water related problems. Such awards inspire current and future generations of scientists and engineers, encouraging them to develop novel solutions and innovative technologies that can safeguard our planet and deliver a prosperous future for all.

I must also thank KAUST and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where I have been fortunate to work and reside for the last decade, who have provided a research environment that nurtures creativity, curiosity, and collaboration. A key motivation behind all the research we do is to push the boundaries of what is possible, to challenge conventional wisdom, and to find innovative solutions to problems - particularly those around water scarcity and sustainable resource utilization.

I am deeply honored to receive the specialized prize in Water Management and Protection for my team's pioneering contribution towards advancing the use of Cubesats in Earth observation. These constellations of small shoe-boxed sized satellites have revolutionized how often and how well we can observe the Earth, providing an entirely new paradigm in our ability to monitor and manage national and international water resources. Combining Cubesat-derived information with cutting-edge data analytics has allowed us to observe and measure the footprint of humanities activity at a global scale, turning satellite data into actionable intelligence.

My team has focused its attention on quantifying agricultural water use and needs, identifying the health and condition of agricultural fields at unprecedented scales, and delivering the techniques needed to advance a more sustainable use of water resources around the world. The background to this is that the water we use to grow our food is the single largest consumer of freshwater globally - accounting for more than 70% of humanity's water footprint. As such, it is imperative that we have the tools to accurately determine this on a local, national and global basis. Such information is critical for developing sustainable water practices that safeguard the security and resilience of our interlinked water and food sectors.

It goes without saying that none of these achievements could have been possible without the efforts of an incredibly talented group of scientists and engineers who have been part of my team at KAUST over the last decade and more. Their creativity and commitment to push against the boundaries of knowledge are the driving forces behind these achievements. I am immensely grateful for all their individual and collective contributions over the years.

In conclusion, I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for this extraordinary honor. The awards commitment to promoting innovation in water science and technology provides great motivation to scientists and engineers around the world, encouraging them to focus attention on the many water related challenges that we are facing now and in the coming decades. Finding innovative solutions to these challenges lies at the very heart of creating a secure and sustainable water future for generations to come.

Thank you.

Winning Work

[1] McCabe MF, Aragon B, Houborg R, Mascaro J (2017) “Cubesats in hydrology: ultrahigh resolution insights into vegetation dynamics and terrestrial evaporation”, Water Resources Research, 53, doi: 10.1002/2017WR022240

[2] Aragon B, Ziliani MG, Houborg R, Franz TE and McCabe MF (2021) “Cubesats deliver new insights into agricultural water use at daily and 3 m resolutions”, Scientific Reports, 11(1), 12131, doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-91646-w

[3] Houborg R and McCabe MF (2018) “A Cubesat Enabled Spatio-Temporal Enhancement Method (CESTEM) utilizing Planet, Landsat and MODIS data”, Remote Sensing of Environment, doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2018.02.067

[4] Lopez Valencia O, Johansen K, Aragon B, Li T, Houborg R, Malbeteau Y, Al-Mashharawi S, Altaf MU, Fallatah EM, Dasari HP, Hoteit I and McCabe MF (2020) “Mapping groundwater abstractions from irrigated agriculture: big data, inverse modeling and a satellite-model fusion approach”, Hydrology and Earth Systems Sciences, doi.org/10.5194/hess-2020-50

[5] McCabe MF, Rodell M, Alsdorf DE, Miralles DG, Uijlenhoet R, Wagner W, Lucieer A, Houborg R, Verhoest NEC, Franz TE, Shi J, Gao H and Wood EF (2017) “The future of Earth observation in hydrology”, Hydrology and Earth Systems Sciences 21, 3879-3914, doi:10.5194/hess-21-3879-2017

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Alternative Water Resources Prize - 10th Award

Overview

The team of Menachem Elimelech (Yale University) and Chinedum Osuji (University of Pennsylvania)

Dr. Elimelech and Dr. Osuji has made significant advances in nanostructured materials for next-generation membranes and water purification technologies, with a particular focus on implementation issues like manufacturing, sustainability, self-assembled materials, and biofouling. They have advanced our knowledge on a wide range of issues: from carbon nanotubes to graphene oxide, cellulose triacetate and plant-derived feedstocks; from the use of magnetic fields to surface confinement, to engineering crystallite size; and from pressure retarded osmosis to membrane distillation and nanofiltration.

Winner Profile

Dr. Menachem Elimelech

Dr. Elimelech is the Roberto Goizueta Professor, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University.

Education:

• 1989 – PhD; The Johns Hopkins University (Environmental Engineering)
• 1985 – MSc; The Hebrew University, Jerusalem (Environmental Science & Technology)
• 1983 – BSc; The Hebrew University, Jerusalem (Soil and Water Sciences)

Selected Awards:

2019 –AEESP Outstanding Paper Award (with Nathalie Tufenkji)
2015 – Eni Prize for ‘Protection of the Environment’
2014 – The Charles R. O’Melia Distinguished Educator Award, Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors
2012 – Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) Outstanding Paper Award (with Amy E. Childress)
2012 – Super Reviewer Award, Environmental Science & Technology
2012 – Yale University Postdoctoral Mentoring Prize
2011 – The Simon W. Freese Environmental Engineering Award and Lecture, ASCE
2010 – Liza Cariaga-Lo Faculty Award for Diversity in Scholarship and Service, Yale University
2009 – World Class University Professor, Korea University, Seoul, Korea
2008 – American Institute of Chemical Engineers Lawrence K. Cecil Award in Environmental Chemical Engineering
2006 – Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) Frontier of Research Award
2005 – The Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke Prize, National Water Research Institute
2004 – Excellence in Review Award, Environmental Science & Technology
2004 – Yale University Graduate Mentor Award
2002 – Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) Outstanding Paper Award
1996 – American Society of Civil Engineers, Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize
1994 – W.M. Keck Foundation, Engineering Teaching Excellence Award
1990 – National Science Foundation, Research Initiation Award
1989 – Environmental Engineering and Chemistry Graduate Student Award, American Chemical Society-Division of Environmental Chemistry

 

 

Dr. Chinedum Osuji

Dr. Osuji is the Eduardo D. Glandt Presidential Professor and Department Chair in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania.

Education:

• 2007 – Post-doctoral research; Cornell University (Materials Science and Engineering)
• 2003 – PhD; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Materials Science & Engineering)
• 1996 – BS; Cornell University (Applied Physics)

Selected Awards:

2019 – Nano Research Young Investigator Award
2016 – Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Graduate Mentor Award
2016 – YSEA Award for Advancement of Basic and Applied Science
2016 – Yale Science and Engineering Association “Advancement of Basic Science” Award
2015 – Hendrick C. Van Ness Award
2015 – American Physical Society John H. Dillon Medal
2012 – Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award
2012 – 3M Nontenured Faculty Award
2010 – Yale College Arthur Greer Memorial Prize
2008 – National Science Foundation CAREER Award
2000 – Omnova Polymer Science Award, MIT

 

 

Acceptance Speech

dionysios300x300TEXT OF ACCEPTANCE SPEECH









 

 

 

 

 

dionysios300x300TEXT OF ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

Winning Work

[1] Park, H.B., Kamcev, J., Robeson, L.M., Elimelech, M., & Freeman, B.D. “Maximizing the right stuff: The trade-off between membrane permeability and selectivity”, Science, Volume 356. June 2017, eaab0530.

[2] Yao, Y., Zhang, P., Jiang, C., DuChanois, R.M., Zhang, X., Elimelech, M. “High performance polyester reverse osmosis desalination membrane with chlorine resistance” Nature Sustainability, October 2020, pages 1-9

[3] Werber, J.R., Osuji, C.O., & Elimelech, M. “Materials for next-generation desalination and water purification membranes”, Nature Reviews Materials, Volume 1, April 2016, page(s) 16018.

[4] Werber, J.R. and Elimelech, M., “Permselectivity limits of biomimetic desalination membranes”, Science Advances, 4(6). June 29, 2018, eaar8266.

[5] Lu, X., Feng, X., Yang, Y., Jiang, J., Cheng, W., Liu, C., Gopinadhan, M., Osuji, C.O., Ma, J. & Elimelech, M., “Tuning the permselectivity of polymeric desalination membranes via control of polymer crystallite size”, Nature Communications, 10(1), May 28, 2019. pages 1-7, #2347.

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