Dana Porter, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service engineer, received the Professional Engineers Institute Professional Engineer of the Year award during the 2016 Annual International Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers in Orlando, Florida. She also received the group’s President’s Citation.

Porter is a professor and AgriLife Extension agricultural engineering specialist at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Lubbock. She is also the AgriLife Extension program leader and associate department head of the biological and agricultural engineering department at Texas A&M University, College Station.

As the engineer of the year, Porter was recognized for “dedicated service in support of professional engineering licensure for agricultural and biological engineers,” according to the award citation.  

She received a President’s Citation “in recognition of her outstanding leadership of the professional engineer writing committee for an extended period that included the transition to a spring test and the transition from the Agricultural Engineering Exam to the Agricultural and Biological Engineering Exam.”

In addition to her honors, Porter was appointed to a three-year term on the ASABE Foundation board of trustees. Porter, who said she much prefers nominating colleagues for honors, was recognized during the July meeting.

In her role as an AgriLife Extension engineer, Porter is responsible for developing and implementing research and educational programs on irrigation technologies, water management and quality, and efficient use of water related to crop production. Her primary goal is to develop, adapt and evaluate technologies and practices that support water conservation and mitigate impacts of limited and declining water quality and quantity in agricultural systems.

According to their website, the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers is a professional group that fosters the latest news and information, professional development, networking and resources among its 8,000 members representing over 100 countries.