Hydraulic Engineering Prize 2024 won by Lian Schout of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and Anne-May Alkemade of TU Delft

Lian Schout of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences has won the Hydraulic Engineering Prize 2024 in the HBO category with her graduation project. First prize in the WO category went to Anne-May Alkemade of TU Delft. The awards were presented during the Hydraulic Engineering Day, held again this year at the Beatrix Theater Utrecht, by the winner of the Hydraulic Engineering Award 2023, WO category, Maria Montijn.

Lian Schout, a graduate of the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, won with her graduation project "The erodibility of Trisoplast and clay". In the Netherlands, a large amount of clay is used to reinforce flood defenses. This clay layer must prevent the dike from collapsing due to erosion. Sufficient clay of the right quality is becoming increasingly scarce and the application of Trisoplast is an alternative. Trisoplast is a mineral sealing material consisting of sand, bentonite and a polymer that is currently used for bottom and top seals of waste dams. With a series of laboratory tests, Lian demonstrated in her graduate work that Trisoplast has higher resistance to erosion for both longitudinal flow and wave loading compared to clay erosion class 1 and 2. This demonstrates the potential of this material as a substitute for clay for dike reinforcement. The jury finds that Lian has delivered excellent research of a high standard. The research is well defined, the execution of a series of tests in such a short time frame is a handsome achievement, and the report is clear with clear conclusions. The research is innovative because it has taken the application of Trisoplast in the reinforcement of levees one step further.

Anne-May Alkemade, a TU Delft graduate, won with her graduation project "Seed-sediment Dynamics: An experimental study into the behavior of seagrass seeds in a sand mixture informing a novel approach for large-scale seagrass restoration.". Restoring seagrass in shallow waters is essential because it stores large amounts of CO2 and prevents erosion. However, no good technique currently exists to carry this out on a large scale at low cost. The new idea is to use a mixture of sand, water and seeds to create a thin layer of about 10 centimeters. The seeds must be between 1-5 centimeters below the top of this new sand layer to develop properly. Anne-May's research looked at the dynamics of such a mixture to see if and if so how this technique can work with a series of different types of experiments. These experiments show that low sand concentrations and also smaller sand grain diameters are beneficial in getting seeds to the right place in the soil. At too high concentrations or grain diameters, much or even complete segregation occurs during sedimentation where the seeds end up on top of the sand despite the higher fall velocity. The jury is impressed by the detailed research and systematic answering of the research questions combining ecological and physical knowledge. The jury believes that the report is excellently written with many beautiful photographs and illustrations and a gripping text from beginning to end. The jury considers this research a wonderful example of how fundamental research on mixtures can bring the scaling up of a solution for nature restoration a step closer and hopes that this promising result will be further tested in practice.

The Hydraulic Engineering Prize Jury assessed the graduation projects in terms of innovation, among other things. By this the jury means the extent to which new elements are added to existing knowledge, the practical applicability of the result and multidisciplinary approach. The extent to which the project contributes to the sustainability of the sector also plays an important role.

The purpose of the Hydraulic Engineering Award is to bring hydraulic engineering to the attention of young people with renewed energy. Hydraulic engineering needs well-trained workers at all levels. They are needed to carry out hydraulic engineering projects both in the Netherlands and elsewhere in the world. Every year the Association of Hydraulic Engineers offers students graduating from HBO or Technical University in hydraulic engineering (or related disciplines) the opportunity to compete for the annual Hydraulic Engineering Award.

The Association of Hydraulic Engineers is the employer and business association of contractors and service providers in hydraulic engineering. It represents about 90 member companies in the Netherlands and accounts for about 80% of the water construction volume. The member companies are active at home and abroad in areas such as land reclamation, dredging, coastal and shore work, structural hydraulic engineering, port development, soil remediation and area planning. Among other things, hydraulic engineering is distinguished by its sustainable, capital-intensive, innovative and international character. www.waterbouwers.nl