U of S Engineer Wins Prestigious International Award

Released August 15, 2002

University of Saskatchewan engineering professor Lal Kushwaha has become the second Canadian awarded the prestigious John Deere Gold Medal by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE).

The award, which recognizes "distinguished achievement in the application of science and art to the soil", was presented July 31 at the annual ASAE international meeting in Chicago, Ill.

Kushwaha, who is currently president of the Canadian Society of Agricultural Engineering, was lauded both for his research and his "outstanding reputation as a teacher."

Kushwaha is internationally known for his contributions to soil dynamics, tillage, and analysis of soil-machinery interaction. He has worked extensively in prairie agriculture, and developed the concept of high-speed tillage.

Recently, Kushwaha received a total of $605,000 from NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council) and the Canadian Department of National Defense to develop efficient and cost-effective machines that clear landmines.

He has since developed a remote-controlled prototype that detonates landmines without damaging itself as it moves across the soil. He will also develop a computer model to analyze the risk to various kinds of military vehicles that travel across minefields.

Later this month, his team will be in southern Alberta at Defence Research & Development Canada-Suffield for the testing of the prototype using "dummy" (mechanically produced) land mines.

For more information, contact:

Prof. Lal Kushwaha
U of S College of Engineering

Kathryn Warden
U of S Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan