Hayes to receive Omtvedt Award

NDMC director Michael Hayes during a meeting in August 2012. (File Photo)
NDMC director Michael Hayes during a meeting in August 2012. (File Photo)

Michael Hayes and the National Drought Mitigation Center will be presented the "Omtvedt Innovation Award" later this week in recognition of exceptional service at the University of Nebraska and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Hayes, director of the NDMC and faculty member of the School of Natural Resources, credited the award to "the team attitude" at the NDMC, which played a central role in national news stories as drought conditions gripped a vast portion of the United States this summer and fall. In addition to consistent media exposure, the NDMC featured prominently during the drought through its involvement in a variety of activities including the U.S. Drought Monitor product, producer-oriented workshops around the region, briefing members of Congress, and helping to organize a National Drought Forum in December in Washington, D.C.

“It is an honor to receive this particular award, and I am very excited to see the entire NDMC team recognized for its national outreach efforts,” Hayes said.

The award will be presented at the IANR All-Hands Meeting Thursday, Jan. 17, at 9 a.m. at the East Campus Union.