Awards and Recognitions

USSD honors individuals and organizations with the awards and recognitions shown on this page.

Nominations for 2023 open NOW!

Deadlines extended to February 13, 2023!

Click on each award below to learn more.

Public Safety, Security and Emergency Management of Dams Recognition

Excellence in Constructed Project Award

Lifetime Achievement Award

Exceptional Young Professional of the Year Award

 

 

 

USSD honors an individual whose lifetime of dedication and achievement has contributed significantly to the dam engineering profession.

2022 Recipient

Dr. George W. Annandale, PE
George W Annandale, Inc

Previous Recipients

2021:
Dr. Paul Rizzo
2019:
David Kleiner
2018:
Dr. Hank Falvey
2017:
Ken Hansen
2016:
Kim de Rubertis
2015:
Joseph L. Ehasz
2014:
Alan L. O'Neill
2013:
John J. Cassidy
2012:
Eric B. Kollgaard
2011:
Glenn S. Tarbox
2010:
Arthur H. Walz, Jr.
2009:
William B. Bingham
2008:
Ralph Peck
2007:
Richard W. Kramer
2006:
Thomas M. Leps

This award recognizes the significant contributions made to the dam community and to society through the construction, remediation, or removal of a dam or water resources structure. The award honors an individual or team of professionals who meet the challenges of the nation's aging infrastructure in an era of limited financial resources and increasing environmental awareness.

2022 Recipient

Boone Dam Internal Remediation Project

Owner: Tennessee Valley Authority
Contractors: Barnard Construction Co.
Nicholson Construction Co.
Phillips & Jordan, Inc.
TREVIICOS – Nicholson Joint Venture

Previous Recipients

2021:
Pickwick Landing Dam South Embankment Seismic Upgrade Project
2019:
New Calaveras Dam
2018:
Chilhowee Dam North Embankment Remediation Project
2017:
Buchanan Dam Emergency Gate Dewatering System
2016:
Emergency and Carryover Storage Project
2015:
Removal of Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams
2014:
Snoqualmie Falls Hydroelectric Redevelopment Project
2013:
Deep Creek Watershed Dam 5D Project
2012:
Big Tujunga Dam Seismic Rehabilitation and Spillway Modification Project
2011:
Ridges Basin Dam
2010:
Taum Sauk Upper Reservoir Dam Restoration Project
2009:
Lake Lenexa Dam and Spillway
2008:
Lake Brazos Labyrinth Weir
2007:
Pine Brook Dam
2006:
Saluda Dam Remediation Project
2005:
Guanella Dam and Reservoir Project

To celebrate the exceptional industry-wide contributions of Young Professionals, this award annually recognizes an individual age 35 or under who, through both their career and community involvement, exemplify USSD’s four mission goals: advocate, educate, collaborate and cultivate.

2022

Dr. M. Amin Hariri-Ardebili
University of Colorado, Boulder

Previous Recipients

2021:
Veronica Barredo
2019:
Rachael Bisnett

The outgoing USSD President selects this bi-annual award to recognize a member who has provided exceptional service to USSD.

2021 Recipient

Dean Durkee, Gannett Fleming

 

Previous Recipients

2019:
Dr. Debora Miller
2017:
Daniel L. Johnson
2015:
Larry D. Stephens and Michael F. Rogers
2013:
Ronald A. Corso
2011:
John J. Cassidy
2009:
Eric B. Kollgaard
2007:
Constantine G. Tjoumas

This annual award recognizes the outstanding paper presented during each USSD Conference.

2022 Recipient

Derek S. Kinder, USACEThe Importance of Incorporating All Available Information for Flood Hazard Analysis

Previous Recipients

2019:
Lelio Mejia, Geosyntec Consultants, and Ethan Dawson, AECOM
2018:
Robert Rinehart and Blake Armstrong, US Bureau of Reclamation
2017:
Jack Montgomery with Sam Abbaszadeh, MWH now Stantec
2016:
Douglas D. Boyer and William Allerton, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for Implementing a Risk-Informed Approach to Dam Safety in a Regulatory Environment
2015:
Jay Stateler, Bureau of Reclamation
2014:
Lelio Mejia, URS; Jiaer Wu, CHEC USA; and Michael Mooers, Santa Clara Valley Water District
2013:
William R. Swanson, MWH Americas
2012:
Michel Jubran, MWH
2011:
E.F.R. Bollaert, AquaVision Engineering Ltd.
2010:
Lewis E. Hunter and Ronn S. Rose, Corps of Engineers; Bruce R. Hilton and William McCormick, Kleinfelder, Inc.; and Todd Crampton, AMEC Geomatrix, Inc.
2009:
Patrick J. Regan, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
2008:
Gregg A. Scott and Barbara L. Mills-Bria, Bureau of Reclamation
2007:
Alan F. Rauch, Jeffrey S. Dingrando and Thomas Pace, FMSM Engineers; and Robert Van Cleave II and Mark Harris, Corps of Engineers
2006:
Guy S. Lund, URS Corporation
2005:
Ross Boulanger and I. M. Idriss, University of California, Davis

This annual award recognizes the outstanding paper presented by a Young Professional during each USSD Conference.

2022 Recipient

Gergo Arany, Bureau of Reclamation, Concrete Anchor Pullout Test Device: Design, Commissioning, and Project-Specific Testing

Previous Recipients

2019:
Nicholas Paull, Ross W. Boulanger and Jason T. Dejong, University of California, Davis
2018:
Ali Reza Firoozfar, HDR
2017:
Vojislav Cvijanovic, California Department of Water Resources, with Mark Schultz and Blake Dolve, California Department of Water Resources
2016:
Richard Keizer, GEI Consultants, Inc. for An Empirical Model for Estimating Internal Erosion Critical Gradients for Inclined Exit Face Conditions. The paper was co-authored by John D. Rice, Utah State University; and Robert A. Jaeger, GEI Consultants, Inc.
2015:
Brian Hart, Bureau of Reclamation
2014:
Jared Deible, RIZZO Associates
2013:
Jack Montgomery, University of California, Davis
2012:
Hillery Venturini, Bureau of Reclamation
2011:
Everett L. Litton and Dennis Hogan, Black & Veatch Corporation
2010:
R.J. Armstrong, California Department of Water Resources. The paper was co-authored by Ross Boulanger, University of California, Davis; and M.H. Beaty, Beaty Engineering.

This annual award recognizes the outstanding poster presentation during each USSD Conference.

2019 Recipient

Anurag Singhal, Kevin Gerst and Kenwarjit S. Dosanjh, HDREffects of Gate-Wall Interaction on Spillway Tainter Gates

Previous Recipients

2018:
Travis Ford, HDR
2017:
Chris J. Redell, USACE and Ali Asghari Tabrizi, Schnabel
2016:
John Werner, James Rutherford, and Joe Groeneveld, Hatch Associates Consultants, Inc.; Kim Pate and Daniel Kirschbaum, Seattle City Light; Keith Moen, HDR; and Justin Arnold, Alden Laboratories Inc. for Boundary Dam Spillway No. 2 Modifications
2015:
Meghann Wygonik, Corps of Engineers
2014:
Michael McCaffrey, Parsons Brinkerhoff, Mark J. Gross, Alcoa Power Generating, Inc., Tony Plizga and Paul F. Shiers, both of Parsons Brinckerhoff
2013:
Mason Ghafghazi, University of California, Davis
2012:
John Ruhl, Black & Veatch Corporation
2011:
B. Dasgupta, D. Basu, K. Das and R. Green, Southwest Research Institute
2010:
E.F.R. Bollaert, AquaVision Engineering Ltd.
2009:
Jay N. Stateler, Bureau of Reclamation; John Anevski and Doug Oellermann, Bureau of Indian Affairs; and Michael Brown, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes

Dams are identified in the National Infrastructure Protection Plan as a Critical Infrastructure. Presidential Policy Directive 21 (PPD-21) notes, “Critical infrastructure owners and operators are uniquely positioned to manage risks to their individual operations and assets, and to determine effective strategies to make them more secure and resilient.” Individual efforts to manage risk are enhanced by a collaborative public-private partnership that operates as a unified national effort, as opposed to a hierarchical, command-and-control structure.

Organizations, specific projects, and individuals have taken the call to lead the dam industry in establishing public safety and security standards & guidelines, enhancing public safety and security and public safety controls, providing education and raising awareness, and staying situationally aware of changing and evolving threats and increased public safety risks. The physical, personnel, information, and cyber components of a public safety and security practice are challenging enough for traditional buildings and structures, but their application to dams presents a unique ability that requires professional artistry that shouldn’t go without recognition.

It is for this purpose that this recognition was established by the Committee on Public Safety, Security and Emergency Management for Dams.

2021 Recipient

Randy White, Southern California Edison

Previous Recipients

2020:
John H. Moyle, P.E.
2019:
Frank Calcagno
2018:
Tony Bennett, Ontario Power Generation
2017:
Al Hancock
2016:
Loudoun Water