Isaya Kisekka receives Excellence in Education Award from the Irrigation Association
Associate professor Isaya Kisekka has received the 2020 Irrigation Association (IA) Excellence in Education Award. The annual award recognizes outstanding educators in irrigation, water management and water conservation. Kisekka was cited for being “instrumental in reviving the irrigation curriculum at UC Davis” by co-developing three new irrigation courses and helping create the Irrigation and Water Management minor.
“I am humbled and honored to be named the 2020 Excellence in Education Award winner by the IA,” Kisekka told the IA in an interview earlier this month. “Working with students and promoting efficient irrigation and water management through engagement is a passion of mine. I’m excited about what the future holds for our students that now they are graduating with much-needed skills and knowledge in water management and smart irrigation technologies.”
Kisekka specializes in agrohydrology and irrigation. He studies movement of water through the soil to groundwater, and through plants to the atmosphere to optimize water use in agriculture for enhanced crop production, economic and environmental outcomes. Some of his current work includes the management of spatial variability in almonds and walnuts through zone irrigation, precision irrigation in alfalfa and processing tomatoes, recycled water reuse in agriculture and its impacts on soils and crops, as well as the assessment and development of management practices to prevent salt and nitrate leaching to groundwater.
Kisekka received his B.S. in agricultural engineering at Makerere University in Uganda before coming to the U.S. to receive his M.S. and Ph.D. in agricultural and biological engineering at the University of Florida. He joined UC Davis in 2017 with faculty appointments in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources.
The Irrigation Association (IA) is the leading professional organization for the irrigation industry. It supports its members by promoting work that helps define best practices for water management, establish benchmarks and guidelines for products and applications, promote efficient technology and practices and advocate for sound policies.