A University of Kentucky College of Agriculture engineer is the 2012 recipient of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers’ Cyrus Hall McCormick-Jerome Increase Case Gold Medal. 

“Joe Ross is receiving the award for his pioneering work in grain storage and granular mechanics as well as career-long contributions to education, research and the profession,” said Sue Nokes, chair of the college’s Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering. “This is ASABE’s oldest award and probably considered to be its highest and most prestigious award. It has been given since 1932, and we believe Joe is the first person from UK to receive this honor.”

On the ASABE website, the award is described as rewarding exceptional and meritorious engineering achievement in agriculture that has resulted in new concepts, products, processes or methods that advance the development of agriculture.

A native of Live Oak, Fla., Ross earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida before moving to Indiana to pursue a doctorate. He then returned tothe University of Florida where he worked before coming to UK in 1967.

His career at UK spanned 33 years filled with accolades and accomplishments including authorship of more than 100 refereed journal articles, more than 50 technical paper presentations and three patents. He taught undergraduate courses in agricultural processing, structures and food engineering, supervised 19 masters’ and nine doctoral degree candidates and served as department chair for 13 years and director of graduate studies for 10 years before retiring in 2001.

Ross is now an emeritus faculty member of the UK Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering .