UF professor wins national award for soil research

Gerrit Hoogenboom, a UF professor of agricultural and biological engineering, won an award for his decadeslong work in soil science.

Hoogenboom won an award in late October from the Soil Science Society of America. He was awarded the L.R. Ahuja Ag Systems Modeling Award for his work in crop modeling and decision support systems, he wrote in an email.

The models he creates are used to estimate crop yield, plan irrigation systems and project regional water use, he said.

He said the latest version of his research has been downloaded more than 8,000 times. Hoogenboom also mentors students and has seen more than 60 visiting scientists around the world over the past 15 years.

“It is a great honor to receive this award and to be recognized as one of the top scientists in the field of computer model applications in agriculture,” he said.

The award came with a certificate, a complimentary ticket to the award ceremony in Tampa and $2,000.

“The award is a great inspiration of the students, post-docs, and other visiting scientists in my group,” Hoogenboom said.

Kenneth Boote, a colleague of Hoogenboom’s and a professor in the UF agronomy department, has worked with Hoogenboom for the past 25 years, he said. Boote nominated Hoogenboom for the award.

“Dr. Hoogenboom is highly deserving of this award because of his role in developing crop modeling software and especially teaching scientists and students throughout the world,” he said.