Source(s):
Carol Flautt flautt@asae.org, (616) 428-6336
Robert Peart peartr@agen.ufl.edu, (352) 376-4693
GAINESVILLE—Robert Peart, graduate research professor emeritus with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, was selected by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) to receive the Massey-Ferguson Educational Award for 2000.
The award, one of ASAE’s most prestigious, was presented to Peart at the organization’s recent international meeting in Milwaukee, Wis.
It honors those whose dedication to learning and teaching in agricultural engineering has advanced knowledge and practice, and whose efforts serve as an inspiration to others.
Peart, who joined the UF’s agricultural and biological engineering department in 1985, was selected for the award in recognition of his commitment to excellence in systems analysis and biological simulation education.
He devoted his career to teaching and research before retiring from UF in September 1995. Recognized as an innovator, Peart developed what was believed to be the first formal graduate course in agricultural systems analysis.
Application of this methodology, aided by digital computers, resulted in better decision-making ability in a wide variety of problem areas, including crop management, equipment design and selection, predicting effects of climatological change, and agricultural systems management. Through these pioneering efforts, Peart provided students with experience and understanding usually acquired only after years of work.
Peart began his teaching career in the 1950s at the University of Illinois before moving to Purdue University in 1958 where he attained the rank of professor. He received his B.S. degree from Iowa State University in 1949, his M.S. degree from Illinois in 1957 and his Ph.D. from Purdue in 1960.
The Massey-Ferguson Educational Award was established in 1965. It is named for Daniel Massey, pioneer innovator and agricultural machinery manufacturer, and Harry Ferguson, inventor and exponent of agricultural mechanization. ASAE, founded in 1907 and headquartered in St. Joseph, Mich., includes 9,000 members in 90 countries.
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