Awards
USSD Awards & Recognitions
USSD's awards program recognizes individuals and organizations that make significant contributions to the dam and levee industry. The awards and recognitions are presented during the USSD Annual Conference.
Applications being accepted until January 15, 2024!
Lifetime Achievement Award
Honors an individual whose lifetime of dedication and achievement has contributed significantly to the dam engineering profession.
2023 Recipient
Dr. Gonzalo Castro
Excellence in Constructed Project Award
Honors an individual or team that makes significant contributions through the construction, remediation, or removal of a dam or water resources structure.
2023 Recipient
Isabella Dam Safety Modification Project
Owner: US Army Corps of Engineers
Contractors: FDS JV (Flatiron, Dragados, and Sukut Joint Venture)
Exceptional Young Professional of the Year
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.
2023 Recipient
Nicholas Contreras
Gannett Fleming
President's Award
Bi-annual award selected by outgoing USSD President recogninzing a member who has provided exceptional service to USSD.
2023 Recipient
Martin Teal
WEST Consultants
Outstanding Paper
Recognizes the outstanding paper presented during each USSD Conference.
2023 Recipient
Christie Hale, Geosyntec Consultants, Inc.
Site Adjustment Factors Applied to Response Spectra for Hard Rock Dam Sites
Outstanding Young Professional Paper
Recognizes the outstanding paper presented during each USSD Conference.
2023 Recipient
Christian Armstrong, WSP Golder
Laboratory evaluation of residual shear strength for A filtered tailing dam
Outstanding Poster Presentation
Recognizes the outstanding poster presentation during each USSD Conference.
2023 Recipient
Not Awarded
Public Safety, Security, and Emergency Management for Dams Recognition
Recognizes 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.
2023 Recipient
James Demby
Dept. of the Army
Sponsored by:
Kenneth D. Hansen Concrete Dam Paper Award (NEW)
This award, which will be funded annually by Ken Hansen, will include a $10,000 prize for a paper focused on concrete dams, with the intent being to instill greater confidence for owners, engineers, and regulators in the benefits of innovative design and construction techniques of concrete dams. Ken identifies concrete dams as “First Class Dams,” meaning they do not erode when overtopped nor settle when shaken in a seismic event.
The intentions of the prize include:
- Recognize an original, unpublished paper that adheres to the tenants of the award as described. Papers submitted for the 2023 or 2024 USSD Annual Conference may be considered.
- To instill greater confidence for owners, engineers, and regulators in the benefits of innovative design and construction techniques of concrete dams, which are also identified by Ken as “First Class Dams.” (Note: “First Class Dams,” as defined by Ken, are dams that do not erode when overtopped nor settle when shaken in a seismic event).
- Focus on practical and innovative solutions that make concrete dams easier to design and construct. The prize is not intended to showcase advanced structural analyses, numerical analyses, or other similar analytical and/or computer- generated applications, means, and methods related to concrete dams.
Visit the award site for more information & to submit a paper.
About Kenneth D. Hansen
Ken Hansen was born in New York City in 1931 and moved with his family to Albuquerque when he was a teen. He graduated high school early and entered the University of New Mexico after receiving a half-tuition scholarship of $42.50 per semester. While at UNM he joined the New Mexico Air National Guard and was called to active duty in the Air Force for 18 months during the Korean War. After being discharged, Ken used the GI Bill to re-enroll at UNM and complete his B.S. degree in Architectural Engineering.
Read more in the Fall 2022 issue of The Bulletin.