Sape Andries Miedema , Associate Professor Dredging Engineering, Delft University of Technology

Paper: The cutting forces in saturated sand of a seagoing cutter suction dredger

What did winning the award mean to you?

International recognition.

What impact did winning the award have on your career?

It connected me to American dredging companies, which resulted in consultancy until now. It also made me encourage and stimulate young colleagues to publish, resulting in many (IADC) awards.

What are you up to now?

Retiring in June 2022.

Marc Van Torre, Professor Emeritus, Ghent University, Belgium

Paper: Navigation in muddy areas: Establishing the navigable depth in the port of Zeebrugge

What did winning the award mean to you?

The award meant a recognition for the relevance of the research projects I was involved in at that time. It also made me aware of the importance of the co-operation between (dredging) companies, port authorities, waterway authorities and research institutions/universities.

What impact did winning the award have on your career?

Awards certainly play a role in an academic career. IADC’s Young Author Award also opened doors to international committees of organisations like PIANC and ITTC (International Towing Tank Conference). The appreciation received from IADC also stimulated to continue research in the field of interaction between ships and mud layers.

What are you up to now?

In 2019, I retired as senior full professor and head of the Maritime Technology division at Ghent University. However, I am still involved in (selected) research topics of the Maritime Technology Division (UGent) and of Flanders Hydraulics Research, in the frame of the Knowledge Centre Ship Behaviour in Shallow and Confined Water.

Ahmed Rufai Mohammed, General Manager, Engineering and Technical Services, Nigerian Ports Authority

Paper: A low-cost dredging device: A laboratory and field study

What did winning the award mean to you?

It helped in building self-esteem and confidence.

What impact did winning the award have on your career?

The award created opportunity to progress in my career to the post of General Manager in charge of Engineering and Dredging Works in Nigerian Ports Authority.

What are you up to now?

Currently serving as the General Manager, Engineering and Technical Services in Nigerian Ports Authority. This includes overseeing dredging activities at all port locations in the organisation.

Leaf Erickson, Senior Engineer, Coastal Design & Engineering

Paper: Case study on local sediment management at Leeward-Going-Through in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos

What did winning the award mean to you?

Having spent most my life writing technical papers in coastal engineering, this recognition gave me the confidence in going beyond technical details in my approach to add interesting elements of both the design and construction process.

What impact did winning the award have on your career?

I have continued both my professional and academic careers advancing to a Senior Engineering position with the same firm and completing my doctoral studies focused in sediment resources at Florida Institute of Technology.

What are you up to now?

I’m still with Coastal Design & Engineering and currently working on a range of coastal projects, including dredging for the Turks and Caicos Islands Ports Authority’s North Caicos and South Caicos Port rehabilitation projects – blending a beneficial use of dredged material for beach and dune restoration projects within a fiscally sustainable construct for both public and private stakeholders.

Stéphanie Groen, Director Coastal & Climate Change Asia, Aurecon Group

Paper: Environmental monitoring and management of reclamations works close to sensitive habitats

What did winning the award mean to you?

Recognition of this process ensured that over time, EMMP or EMP became the norm for marine and terrestrial projects under construction. Whilst an EIA is done before works start, and EMMP is done during construction to ensure full compliance with EIA long term. For me, this was more important than the EIA alone, as these documents still end up forgotten on a dusty shelve. Nowadays, the EMMP process is a recognised tool for projects under construction.

What impact did winning the award have on your career?

DHI Singapore managed to set the scene with EMMP projects, which were adopted in other countries afterwards. Therefore, with the increase in project exposure, there were more opportunities to improve and automate the process, to become more efficient and deliver more accurate results. Personally, I was fortunate to grow with the organisation, get exposed to more than 15 large reclamation EMMP projects and eventually become Managing Director of Singapore in 2013.

What are you up to now?

Currently, I am the Director Coastal and Climate Change Asia for Aurecon, looking after all sustainability, coastal adaptation and climate change related opportunities in Asia. At Aurecon, we believe that our future economic success has direct links to its sustainability and climate change performance. Therefore, we work with our clients on the transition towards net zero and climate positive solutions, which is good for our business and for our planet.

Suze Ann Bakker, Sr. Project Engineer; Project Lead for Enter Energy Mozambique, Shell

Paper: Uncertainty analysis of the mud infill prediction of the Olokola LNG approach channel

What did winning the award mean to you?

When starting my thesis, probabilistic assessments of dredging volumes were at best uncommon. Winning the award showed that it is worthwhile breaking new grounds.

What impact did winning the award have on your career?

It definitely gave me a kick start in my role. But even more important, it taught me how important assessing uncertainties is when working on large infrastructure and energy projects. To this day, assessing uncertainties helps me in making the right decisions in my projects.

What are you up to now?

So far, I have been very fortunate to have worked in a variety of exciting roles across the globe: from maintenance in Pernis refinery in the Netherlands, to offshore structures engineer on a multi-billion-dollar LNG project in Paris, to lead engineer on a terminal conversion project in Houston, Texas. This led me to my current role working on Shell’s global social investment programme, Enter Energy, which brings electricity to refugees in support of Sustainable Development Goal 7. I am truly grateful that I have the opportunity to provide access to energy to improve the lives of displaced people in my country of birth, Mozambique.

Kaitlin McCormick, Senior Manager, Renewable Development, Invenergy

Paper: Masonville dredged material containment facility: Environmental planning, compliance and compensatory mitigation

What did winning the award mean to you?

It was a confidence boost for my technical abilities and expertise associated with navigating complex regulatory frameworks for in-water infrastructure projects. My professional mentor Jane Boraczek had passed away unexpectedly the year before and this award also reflected the support and mentorship (and technical wisdom) she had shared with me.

What impact did winning the award have on your career?

This award helped facilitate further opportunities to learn and advise permitting on coastal and in-water infrastructure within and around the Chesapeake Bay – and began a career of advising and leading permitting for in-water and coastal projects.

What are you up to now?

I serve as a Senior Manager, Renewable Development for Invenergy, the world’s leading privately held sustainable energy company. My focus is on permitting energy generation and association transmission infrastructure.

Rudy Helmons, Assistant Professor (Delft University of Technology) and Adjunct Associate Professor (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)

Paper: Modelling the effect of water depth on rock cutting processes with the use of discrete element method

What did winning the award mean to you?

It feels wonderful to win such an award. It’s a confirmation that the work that you present is of high quality and that it is perceived by others as highly relevant for the dredging industry. It really is great to receive such a compliment from experts in our field.

What impact did winning the award have on your career?

It’s difficult to say. In my case, it gave recognition for the small niche that my research focusses on and it serves as a very good encouragement to notice that others see value in it as well. It did help me to remain within the field of dredging engineering. I have to say, I’m not entirely sure that I’m in the position that I am today because of the Young Author Award. If I go through the list of prevous winners, I notice that I know quite a few of them directly. All those people are talented and seem to share a passion for the field of industry. In that sense, I think that the award is a perfect example of recognising those talented people and giving them encouragement to continue their work.

What are you up to now?

In my current positions at Delft University of Technology and Norwegian University of Science and Technology , I am mainly responsible for the research and education related to the application of deep-sea mining. In those positions, I try to combine the expert knowledge from dredging industry with other fields of industry and research, for example, deep-sea biology/geology, oil/gas technology, mining industry and bulk handling.