Press Release

IA Education Foundation Names Essay/Video Contest Winners

Students receive all-expenses-paid trips to the 2010 Irrigation Show

FALLS CHURCH, VA. (Nov. 19, 2010) — The Irrigation Association Education Foundation has named the winners of its seventh annual essay and video contest, themed “The Role of Irrigation in Sustainability":

Essay, Turf/Landscape: William Connor, University of Hawai’i at Manoa
Essay, Agriculture: Kendall DeJonge, Colorado State University
Video: Arlen McCluskey and Nancy Niklis, University of Hawai’i at Manoa

All winners and their faculty advisors receive all-expenses-paid trips to the 2010 Irrigation Show, Dec. 5-7 in Phoenix. At the show, the students will attend education classes and network with industry leaders.

Dr. Allan Andales, assistant professor and extension specialist in the department of soil and crop sciences at Colorado State University, noted that he wasn’t surprised when civil and environmental engineering PhD candidate Kendall DeJonge prepared not only an essay but also a poem for the contest.

“The ideas came from his research on crop production under limited irrigation and a recent outreach presentation we gave to high school students about field measurements to estimate the soil water balance,” explained Andales. “The essay contest award from the Irrigation Association Education Foundation will give Kendall and me a rare opportunity to learn about techniques and new technologies for sustainable irrigation management at the 2010 Irrigation Show.”

The other three winners, Connor, McCluskey and Niklis come from the same educational program at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, advised by Dr. Ali Fares, graduate program chair and professor of hydrology in the natural resources and environmental management department.

Dr. Fares described the hours of work and research that went into the numerous entries sent from his school. “They learned much more than what they originally intended, and even what I anticipated for them,” explained Dr. Fares. “That’s the power of learning by doing! Winning this contest reinforces in them the quality of aiming high; it is telling them that there is nothing impossible if you exert the necessary efforts. Second, it creates opportunities for them that seemed far away just a short time ago. As an instructor, this opportunity gives me additional support to continue challenging my students to help them learn more and set high goals for their professional life.”

About the Irrigation Foundation
Created by the Irrigation Association, the Irrigation Foundation aims to be the recognized authority on irrigation education. Established more than two decades ago with the simple goal of granting scholarships to students, the Foundation was re-launched in 2005. Its new mission is to advance the irrigation industry using education that both attracts people into the profession and ensures ongoing professional success. The Foundation promotes education, career awareness and career recruitment through programs for both students and industry professionals.