Gerrit Hoogenboom
2002 D.W. Brooks Award for Excellence in Global Programs
Department: Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Dr. Gerrit Hoogenboom is an internationally known researcher in the area of development and application of crop simulation models, decision support systems and agrometeorology. He has published extensively including 61 journal articles, 27 book chapters, and 108 miscellaneous scientific and technical publications. In addition he has edited or co-edited four books. Dr. Hoogenboom has been very successful in obtaining extramural research grants, in excess of $2.3 million dollars, from both national and international agencies.
Dr. Hoogenboom's primary international impact has been in the coordination of the development of the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) since the early 1990s among various national and international institutions. DSSAT is a computer-based system that includes models for more than 20 agronomic crops, data utility tools, and application programs for seasonal, crop rotation and spatial application of crop models. Since 1994, more than 1,000 copies of DSSAT have been sold and distributed to users in more than 90 countries. Users include researchers, educators, consultants, farmers, crop insurers and many others associated with agribusiness. Several agencies, including EPA and USAID, have used DSSAT to determine the potential impact of climate change and climate variability on agricultural production, resource use and potential pollution in the United States and abroad.
Dr. Hoogenboom has developed special short-term training programs on crop modeling and Geographic Information Systems. These one-on-one programs have been supported by grants from various international agencies — UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), UN World Meteorological Service (WMO), UN Development Program (UNDP) and the World Bank. He has conducted 24 training workshops in the United States and abroad. He has hosted 34 international scientists for periods of up to 12 months.
Dr. Hoogenboom is the Vice-Chair of the Scientific and Educational Advisory Board of AGRHYMET in Niamey, Niger. He is a Rapporteur of the WMO Committee on the Status of Modeling in Agroclimatology. He is the Chair of the Division A-3 Agroclimatology and Agronomic Modeling, ASA.
Dr. Hoogenboom has developed an automated weather station network for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. This network has grown from three stations in 1991 to more than 45 stations in 2002.
As part of his international activities, Dr. Hoogenboom has traveled extensively making invited presentations, holding training workshops, or developing and conducting collaborative research projects. Dr. Hoogenboom's achievements are extraordinary in scope with impact spanning five continents — Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America.