Sorooshian Wins Ven Te Chow Award

March 21, 2017 - The American Society of Civil Engineers’ Environmental and Water Resources Institute has named UC Irvine Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Soroosh Sorooshian the 2017 recipient of its Ven Te Chow Award. The honor recognizes lifetime achievement in the field of hydrologic engineering, and was given to Sorooshian “for his pioneering contributions to hydrologic science and water resources systems engineering, including hydrometeorology, hydroclimate studies and application of remote sensing with special focus on the hydrologic cycle and water resources issues.”

Sorooshian, who is also a Distinguished Professor of Earth system science and director of UCI’s Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing, will receive a crystal trophy and a cash prize at the EWRI World Congress in Sacramento, Calif., in May. At that time, he also will deliver a lecture to the group addressing the role of information in capturing hydrologic extremes for water resources engineering applications.

Brett Sanders, civil and environmental engineering department chair congratulated Sorooshian in an email, calling him “a model for showing how engineering faculty can make scholarly contributions relevant to both scientists and engineers.”

“Needless to say, it is always a great honor to be recognized by your peers,” Sorooshian said. “However, the recognition from the American Society of Civil Engineers named after one of the icons of our field, the late Ven Te Chow, has a special meaning coming from an engineering organization.”

Ven Te Chow was a widely recognized hydrologist and educator who was a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The EWRI, one of eight ASCE technical institutes, provides technical, educational and professional services and seeks to integrate public policy and technical expertise into creating sound and sustainable water infrastructure.

- Anna Lynn Spitzer