California Water & Environmental Modeling Forum

Hugo B. Fischer Award

The Hugo B. Fischer Award, which is made in honor of the late Professor Hugo B. Fischer's pioneering work on San Francisco Bay-Delta water quality modeling, is given annually for (1) the development, refinement or innovative application of a computer model or (2) furtherance of the effective use of models in planning or regulatory functions. The award was conceived and endowed in 1995 by Lyle Hoag, retired Executive Director of California Urban Water Agencies, and co-founder of the Bay-Delta Modeling Forum, the predecessor to the CWEMF.

Hugo B. Fischer was born in Lakehurst, New Jersey in 1937 and earned his B.S. degree in 1958, his M.S. in 1963, and his Ph.D. in 1966, all from the California Institute of Technology. He was a professor of civil engineering at the University of California, Berkeley from 1966 until his death in 1983. Dr. Fischer was a recognized authority in salt-water intrusion, water pollution, heat dispersion in waterways, and the mixing of rivers and oceans. A list of his research papers can be found in the University of California’s On-line Water Resources Center Archives.

The Hugo B. Fischer award is presented each winter at the CWEMF’s Annual Meeting, which is held at the Asilomar Conference Center, near Monterey, California.

Year	Hugo B. Fischer Award Winners
2010	To be announced at the CWEMF Annual Meeting in Monterey, Calif. See below for nomination requirements
2009	Dr. Pete Smith – U.S. Geological Survey Award Presentation Award Recipients’ Presentation – “Using 3D Hydrodynamic and Particle-Tracking Models to Explore Fish Movements and Distributions” (.pdf)
2008	Dr. Richard Howitt – University of California, Davis Dr. Jay R. Lund – University of California Davis Award Presentation Award Recipients’ Presentation “Adventures with CALVIN” (.pdf)
2007	Dr. John DeGeorge – Resources Management Associates Award Presentation (.pdf)
2006	Dr. Carl Chen – Systech Engineering, Inc Award Presentation Dr. Paul Hutton – Metropolitan Water District of So. CA
2005	No Award Given
2004	Tom Heinzer – U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
2003	Dr. Emin C. Dogrul–California Department of Water Resources
2002	Dr. Gerald Orlob–University of California, Davis
2001	Armin Munevar – California Department of Water Resources
2000	Kamyar Guivetchi – California Department of Water Resources Dwight Russell – California Department of Water Resources
1999	Walter Bourez III –Surface Water Resources, Inc. Jack Rowell – U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
1998	No award given
1997	Dr. Francis Chung – California Department of Water Resources Dr. Gregory Gartrell –Contra Costa Water District
1996	Dr. Ralph Cheng – U.S. Geological Survey
1995	Dr. Richard Denton – Contra Costa Water District Dr. Alan Jassby – University of California, Davis

Hugo B. Fischer Award Entry Requirements

Nominations, which are due by January 8, 2010, should consist of a:

1. Letter of nomination clearly identifying the nominee and nominator;

2. Brief statement describing the nominated modeling contribution;

3. Statement addressing the level of acceptance of the contribution among various parties;

4. Statement describing, in moderate detail, how the contribution addresses the award criteria; and

5. Short list of any publications relevant to the nomination.

Hugo B. Fischer and graduate students from his Mixing Processes class

visiting the Sandmound Slough tide gates in the Delta. May 1982.

Photo courtesy of Richard Denton.