The Hungarian Hydrological Society (MHT) honoured Profes-sor Johannes Wessel with an “Honorary foreign member” award

István Ijjas; János Bogárdi; Veronika Major

István Ijjas Hungarian Hydrological Society
János Bogárdi National University of Public Service Faculty of Water Sciences, Department of Department of Water and Environmental Policy https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4755-9015
Veronika Major Hungarian Journal of Hydrology https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5220-7159

Abstract

The Hungarian Hydrological Society (MHT) acknowledged the lifetime achievement of Professor Hans Wessel and honoured him with an honorary foreign membership award. On this occasion we respectfully publish salute of Prof. Ijjas and Prof. Bogárdi on behalf of friends and former students of Prof. Wessel.

Author Biographies

István Ijjas , Hungarian Hydrological Society

ISTVÁN IJJAS Prof. engineer, economic engineer, Eur.Ing., Dr. habil. International award: For the Contributions to the Worldwide Advancement of the Science of Irrigation and Drainage Plaque. Domestic awards: Middle Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit (Civil Section), Jenő Kvassay Award, Ödön Bogdánfy Award, Pro Re Rustica Medal, For Progress Medal. He has been a member of the Hydrological Society since 1962. He was a member of the Education Committee, the International Committee, a board member of the Water Management Department, the chairman of the European Integration Ad Hoc Working Group, a member of the board of MHT and the organizer of several major events of MHT. He has published more than 130 publications. He worked at the Budapest Water Directorate, the Tisza Region Agricultural Development Office and was a visiting professor at the Delft University of Technology for two years. He was commissioned as a UN expert several times. He was the European Vice President of the International Irrigation and Water Management Association (ICID) and the Chairman of the ICID Water and Land Management Decision Systems Working Group. He is currently the president of the Hungarian National Committee of ICID and the secretary of the European Regional Working Group. Currently, his main professional, scientific and educational interests are the preparation and implementation of European integration in the field of water management. He is a member of the Expert Group on the Best Methods of Watershed Management established by the European Commission and the international coordinator of the Dialogue on the Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive in Territorial Water Management in the ten EU candidate countries of Central and Eastern Europe at the request of GWP, WWF and ICID. He participated in several large international projects and was the coordinator of several international projects. He is currently a member of the ECOGIS and HARMONICOP programs of the EU 5th R&D framework program, as well as the Scientific Coordinating Council of the Wetlands Excellence Network. He is a member of the Building, Architects and Transport Scientific Committee of the Hungarian Accreditation Committee and the Civil Engineering Subcommittee of the Judicial Technical Expert Committee.

János Bogárdi , National University of Public Service Faculty of Water Sciences, Department of Department of Water and Environmental Policy

JÁNOS BOGÁRDI graduated from the Budapest University of Technology as civil engineer in 1969. In 1971, he obtained a postgraduate diploma in hydrology at the University of Padua (Italy). He earned his doctorate in engineering (Dr.-Ing.) at the University of Karlsruhe in Germany in 1979. He worked as an assistant at the Budapest University of Technology, Department of Water Management (1969-1971) and then at the University of Karlsruhe (1974-1979), where he was also a senior research associate between 1980-1983. He acted as a consultant for several years in Germany and Africa (between 1971-1973 and 1983-1985). Between 1985 and 1988, he was an associate professor at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT, Thailand). Between 1989 and 1995, he was chair professor at the University of Agriculture in Wageningen. From 1995 to 2003, he was a senior programme specialist of UNESCO in Paris and serving head of the Sustainable Water Management Section within the Division of Water Sciences. Between 2003 and 2009, he was the founding director of the Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) of the UN University in Bonn. Between 2007 and 2009, he was also ad interim the European Vice-Rector of UNU. From 2009 to 2012, he was the executive director of the international Global Water System Project (GWSP) within the Development Research Center (ZEF) of the University of Bonn. Since 2004, he has been a co-opted professor at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Bonn. Since 2012, he has been a senior fellow of ZEF. Since 2016, he has been a distinguished visiting professor at AIT. Since 2017, he has been a scientific advisor at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Kőszeg (iASK), and from 2022 he is an honorary guest professor at the Universidad Autonóma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH) in Mexico. Author or co-author of more than 200 scientific publications. Awarded by several universities, mainly in Central Europe. Honorary Doctor (Dr.h.c.) of the Warsaw University of Agriculture (1996), Budapest University of Technology (1997) and Nizhny Novgorod State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. In 2008, he won the Cannes International Water Prize (Grand Prix des Lumières de l'Eau). In 2019 he received the golden diploma of Budapest University of Technology. Member of the editorial board of the Hungarian Journal of Hydrology (until 2022) and foreign honorary member of the Hungarian Hydrological Society since 2017.

Veronika Major, Hungarian Journal of Hydrology

VERONIKA MAJOR certified chemical mechanical engineer (Budapest University of Technology), licensed engineer in law (Eötvös Loránd University), university doctor. Vice-president of the Hungarian Association, member of the Technical Legal Expert Board, editor-in-chief of the Hungarian Journal of Hydrology of the Hungarian Hydrological Society. Owner of Pál Benedek award (2019), the Jenő Kvassay memorial medal (2023) and the Pro Aqua memorial medal (2024).

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