Mueller Receives Career Achievement Honors

Scott Mueller, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Assistant State Conservation Engineer (retired), received the Career Achievement Award for 2022 from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). The honor was presented at the Wisconsin Section Spring Meeting on April 19, 2022, in the presence of over 100 members.

The Career Achievement Award honors Wisconsin section members who have made outstanding contributions to Agricultural Engineering through work in research, education, design, or extension. Selection was based on the candidate’s lifetime accomplishments as an engineer.

Scott grew up on a dairy farm. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1987, with a degree in Agricultural Engineering. Scott worked for the NRCS for 34 years in NW Illinois and Wisconsin, including 19 years as the Assistant State Conservation Engineer in Madison. He is a Registered Professional Engineer and a member of the team that develops the Professional Engineer Exam. Scott is a regular attendee at the ASABE Annual International Meeting and an active member on several ASABE national committees.

Scott has been a regular mentor for students in the University of Wisconsin–Madison Senior Design Capstone Experience for almost 20 years. This is a major commitment, as the course spans two semesters. Scott has not been a cursory mentor; rather, he develops the project scope and expected outcomes, regularly meets in person with student teams, grades the assignments and final reports and attends the final presentation assembly. This is a remarkable dedication to launching young engineers and it shows the overall commitment Scott has to the profession.

Scott is also a soccer and basketball referee and is very involved in his church and local service activities around his home, near Lone Rock, Wisconsin. He is still in play, helping farmers and young engineers through the NRCS Agriculture Conservation Experienced Services (ACES) program while continuing to contribute his efforts to the ASABE and University of Wisconsin­–Madison Biological and Engineering Department.