Professional Awards

The Division presents several awards each year to recognize achievement and to promote work in the area of soil and water conservation and management.

Young Scholar Award

This award recognizes young scientists who have made an outstanding contribution in Soil and Water Management and Conservation within seven years of completing their Ph.D.

Past Recipients

  • 2018: Asim Biswas, Univ. of Guelph
  • 2015: Mike Castellano, Iowa State Univ.
  • 2014: DeAnn Pressley, Kansas State Univ.
  • 2013: Bianca Moebius-Clune, Cornell Univ.
  • 2012: Tony Buda, USDA-ARS
  • 2011: Josh McGrath, Univ. of Maryland
  • 2010: Jason Warren, Oklahoma State Univ.
  • 2009: Cristine Morgan, Texas A&M Univ.
  • 2008: Humberto Blanco, Kansas State Univ.
  • 2007: Christian Renschler, State Univ. of New York
  • 2006: David Robinson, Stanford Univ.
  • 2005: Kristofor R. Brye, Univ. of Arkansas
  • 2004: Mark Liebig, USDA-ARS
  • 2003: Raj Khosla, Colorado State Univ.
  • 2002: Peter J.A. Kleinman, USDA-ARS
  • 2001: David Lobb, Univ. of Manitoba
  • 2000: Clay A. Robinson, The Pennsylvania State Univ. & Thomas J. Sauer, USDA-ARS National Tilth Lab
  • 1997: Alan Franzluebbers, Texas A&M Univ.

Award Committee: Hero Gollany (Chair), Jane Johnson, Humberto Blanco

Best Paper Award

The Division honors the authors of SSSAJ manuscripts published within the Division of SSSAJ during the last seven years that have had exceptional impact on the scientific community. Selection is based on a rigorous evaluation of how the manuscript has advanced knowledge in the profession, the effectiveness of communication, originality, and impact measured by number of citations and downloads.

Past Recipients

Award Committee: Hero Gollany (Chair), Mark Liebig, DeAnn Presley, Francisco Arriaga, Maria Lucia Silveira, Michael Castellano.

HOWARD M. TAYLOR LECTURESHIP ON ROOT-SOIL RELATIONSHIPS

The Howard M. Taylor Lectureship was sponsored by the Division from 2001 to 2008, with funds provided by friends, colleagues, and former students of Howard Taylor.

Howard Taylor was generally regarded as one of the most important American root scientist of his time. From 1949 to 1991 Howard's research covered a broad range of topics involving root-soil relationships. His studies on root response to soil compaction and on root growth and water uptake in response to soil physical conditions provide the foundation for current understanding of these topics and the basis for many management strategies.

Each year a lecturer was selected to present research results, models, or retrospectives on root-soil relationships at the annual meetings of SSSA. Subjects covered related to any aspect of root-soil relations, with some emphasis placed on areas that Dr. Taylor worked on, including root-water relationships and root growth response to soil physical conditions and soil management practices. An annual stipend of $4000 to fund this lectureship was provided by the Howard M. Taylor Memorial Lectureship Fund of the Agronomic Science Foundation.

Lecturers

  • 2008: David M. Eissenstat, Penn State University, University Park, PA. An Ecological Perspective on Root Physiology and Dynamics.
  • 2007: Peter Gregory, Scottish Crop Research Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, United Kingdom. Routes to Roots: Exploring the Growth and Activity of Roots in Soils.
  • 2006: Meine van Noordwijk, ICRAF, Bogor, Indonesia. Root Distribution Effects on Tree and Crop Water Uptake in Agroforestry: Competition and Facilitation.
  • 2005: Hans Lambers, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia. Root Respiration, Exudation and Nutrient Uptake: Carbon Costs of Nutrient Acquisition.
  • 2004: Jonathan Lynch, Penn State University, University Park, PA.  The Roots of the Second Green Revolution.
  • 2003: Margaret McCully, Division of Plant Industry at CSIRO, Australia. Underground Explorations: A New Focus on Root/Soil/Microbial Interactions in the Field.
  • 2002: Park Nobel, University of California at Los Angeles. General and Special Qualities of Roots for CAM Species.
  • 2001: Francois Tardieu, INRA-ENSAM, Montpellier, France. Modeling the Contribution of Root Signaling to the Control of Stomatal Conductance and Leaf Growth.