Otto Jaag Water Protection Prize
In 1980, two years after the death of Otto Jaag (1900–1978) and at his request, Elisabeth Jaag-Schenk set up the "Otto Jaag Water Protection Prize" fund at the ETH Zurich, in order to recognize outstanding dissertations and Master's theses in the field of water protection/hydrology at the ETH Zurich. In 2024, the fund was increased by Janet Hering, former Director of Eawag, so that the prize money could be increased from CHF 1,000 to CHF 5,000.
Professor Jaag, who was renowned both nationally and internationally as a water protection pioneer, served as the Director of Eawag from 1952 to 1970. The Otto Jaag Water Protection Prize, which is worth CHF 5000, is awarded annually at a ceremony held on "ETH-Tag".
Nominations
Members of the ETH Zurich teaching staff are entitled to propose candidates for the Otto Jaag Water Protection Prize. The Jury comprises the Rector of the ETH Zurich and two other ETH Professors working at Eawag. For this term these are Prof. Dr. Günther Dissertori - Rektor, Professor Jukka Jokela and Professor Eberhard Morgenroth.
Deadline for submissions
Proposals for the Otto Jaag Water Protection Prize must be submitted no later than 15 June each year.
Electronic submissions
The following documents are to be submitted in PDF format:
- a brief explanation of the reasons for the nomination
- the dissertation or Master's theses
- for dissertations only: copies of the advisor's and co-advisor's comments
Documents are to be submitted in PDF format to Prof. Jukka Jokela and Prof. Eberhard Morgenroth.
Hard-copy submissions
In the case of hard-copy submissions, applications should be made in duplicate. The documents should be sent to:
Prof. Dr. Eberhard Morgenroth
Eawag
Überlandstrasse 133
8600 Dübendorf
or
Prof. Dr. Jukka Jokela
Eawag
Überlandstrasse 133
8600 Dübendorf
Jukka Jokela and Eberhard Morgenroth will evaluate the proposals on the basis of scientific depth, innovation, relevance and publications and, together with the Rector, decide on awarding the prize.
Prize Winners
Current award winner 2024
Valentin Faust has been awarded the Otto Jaag Water Protection Prize 2024 for his dissertation "Effects of pH on urine nitrification: from microbial selection to process performance".
List of winners of the Otto Jaag Water Protection Prize
| Year
| Winner's first name(s) | Winner's surname | Dissertation / thesis |
| 2023 | Charlotte | BOPP | The role of oxygen uncoupling by Rieske non-heme iron dioxygenases in the biodegradation of aromatic contaminants |
| 2022 | Wenzel | GRUBER | Long-term N2O emission monitoring in biological wastewater treatment: methods, applications and relevance |
| 2022 | Urs | SCHÖNENBERGER | The overlooked pathway: hydraulic shortcuts and their influence on pesticide transport in agricultural areas |
| 2021 | Elisa | CALAMITA | Modelling the effects of large dams on water quality in tropical rivers |
| 2020 | Matthew | MOY DE VITRY | Public Surveillance and the Future of Urban Pluvial Flood Modelling |
| 2019 | Stefan | ACHERMANN | Exploring linkages between micropollutant biotransformation reactions and microbial community characteristics in activated sludge |
| 2018 | Wenfeng | LIU | Modelling Global Water-Food-Invironment-Trade Nexus in the Context of Agricultural Intensification |
| 2017 | Michael | BESMER | Monitoring short-term dynamics of bacterial concentrations in natural and engineered aquatic ecosystems |
| 2016 | Hanspeter | ZÖLLIG | Electrolysis for the Treatment of Stored Source-Separated Urine |
| 2015 | Christoph | MOSCHET | Adressing Blind Spots in the Assessment of Pesticides in Surface Waters: A Complete Screening using Trace-Level Mass Spectrometry Techniques and Complementary Sampling Strategies |
| 2014 | Lisa | SCHOLTEN | Multi-criteria decision analysis for water supply infrastructure planning under uncertainty |
| 2013 | Francesca | VERONES | Methodologies for the evaluation of water use related impacts on biodiversity within Life Cycle Assessment |
| 2012 | Sebastian | STOLL | On the Impact of Climate Change on Groundwater Resources |
| 2011 | Saskia | ZIMMERMANN | Enhanced Wastewater Treatment by Ozone and Ferrat: Kinetics, Transformation Products and Full-scale Ozonation |
| 2010 | Linda | ROBERTS | Arsenic dynamics in groundwater-irrigated and seasonally flooded paddy fields in Bangladesh |
| 2009 | Jan Christian | MILZOW | Hydrological and sedimentological modelling of the Okavango Delta Wetlands, Botswana |
| 2008 | Andreas | PETER | Taste and Odor in Drinking Water: Sources and Mitigation Strategies |
| 2007 | David Jérôme | DÜRRENMATT | Berechnung des Verlaufs der Abwassertemperatur im Kanalisationsrohr |
2007 | David Christian | FINGER | Effects of hydropower operation and oligotrophication on internal processes in Lake Brienz |
| 2006 | |||
| 2005 | Anke | GÖBEL | Occurence and fate of sulfonamide and macrolide antimicrobials in wastewater treatment |
| 2004 | Peter | BAUER | Flooding and salt transport in the Okavango Delta, Botswana: Key issues for sustainble wetland management |
2003 | Simon | DENOTH | Zweidimensionale Hochwassersimulation der Elbe zwischen Torgau und Coswig |
| 2002 | Marco Cornelis Matheus | JASPERS | Using Reporter Bacteria to Study the Bioavailability of Pollutants in Aqueous Environments |
| 2001 | Jacob Leendert | HUISMAN | Transport and transformation processes in combined sewers |
| 2000 | Nina Anke | SCHWEIGERT | Modes of Action and Toxicity of (Chloro-)Catechol/Copper Combinations |
| 1999 | |||
| 1998 | Thomas | BUCHELI | Occurrence and behavior of pesticides during storm water infiltration |
| 1997 | Barbara | BAUMANN | Dynamics of Denitrification in Paracoccus denitrificans |
| 1996 | Jörg | KLAUSEN | Abiotic redox transformations of aromatic nitro and amino compounds in suspensions of soil minerais. Laboratory studies in batch and flow -through systems |
| 1996 | Michael | GFELLER | Kinetics of Hydrolytic Reactions of Organic Compounds at Soil Mineral-Water Interfaces |
| 1995 | Thomas | HOFSTETTER | Kinetics of the reduction of polyhalogenated methanes in model systems |
| 1994 | Reto | VON SCHULTHESS | Die Emission von Lachgas N2O in denitrifizierenden Belebungsanlagen |
| 1993 | |||
| 1992 | |||
| 1991 | Peter | KREBS | Modellierung und Verbesserung der Strömung in Nachklärbecken |
| 1990 | Paul | WERSIN | The Fe(II)-CO2 -H2 0 System in Anoxic Natural Waters: Equilibria and Surface Chemistry |
| 1989 | Nader | AL-AWADHI | The Characterization and Physiology of some Thermotolerant and Thermophilic Solvent-Utilizing Bacteria |
| 1988 | Markus | KELLENBERGER | Wirbelfallschächte in der Kanalisationstechnik |
| 1987 | Alfred | WÜEST | Ursprung und Grösse von Mischungsprozessen im Hypolimnion natürlicher Seen |
| 1986 | Gerhard | FURRER | Die oberflächenkontrollierte Auflösung von Metalloxiden: Ein koordinationschemischer Ansatz zur Verwitterungskinetik |
| 1985 | Hansruedi | SIEGRIST | Stofftransportprozesse in festsitzender Biomasse |
| 1984 | |||
| 1983 | Andreas | FRUTIGER | Untersuchungen zur Oekologie der räuberischen Steinfliege Dinocras cephalotes Curtis (Plecoptera: Perlidae) in einem Fliessgewässer der schweizerischen Voralpen |
| 1982 | |||
| 1981 | Hansjörg | FRICKER | Critical Evaluation of the Application of Statistical Phosphorus Loading Models to Alpine Lakes |
| 1980 | Laura | SIGG | Die Wechselwirkung von Anionen und schwachen Säuren mit a-FeOOH (Goethit) in wässriger Lösung |
About Otto Jaag
Coming from a very modest family background, Otto Jaag was only able to realize his aspiration of studying natural sciences at Geneva University thanks to a private loan. In 1929, he completed his studies with a dissertation on "Experimental studies of lichens". He then worked as a researcher and, from 1933, as a lecturer (Privatdozent) in Hydrobiology and Cryptogamic Botany at the ETH Institute for Special Botany.
At the age of 41, Jaag became Associate Professor at the ETH Zurich, and in 1952 he was appointed as Director of Eawag. Under Jaag's enterprising leadership, Eawag's activities rapidly expanded to cover a wider range of environmental protection concerns.
From 1952 to 1954, in his capacity as Chair of the Extraparliamentary Commission responsible for elaborating the Federal Water Protection Act of 1955, Jaag played a key role in the development of Swiss water protection legislation and its constitutional underpinnings. In 1953, the Act was approved by voters, with a majority of over 80%.
In the international arena, Jaag served for many years on expert bodies at the WHO, the OECD, the Economic Commission for Europe and the Council of Europe.
Publications concerning Otto Jaag
- Braun R. Stickelberger D. (1982): Otto Jaag: ein Leben für den Gewässerschutz. Schweizer Pioniere der Wirtschaft und Technik 36. 88 S. Verein für Wirtschaftshistorische Studien.
- Hörler A. (1970): Professor Dr. Dr. Ing. E.h. Otto Jaag 70 jährig. Gwf Wasser Abwasser 111. 175-177.
- Vogel H. E. (1970): Prof. Dr. Dr. Ing. E.h. Jaag - Präsident der Schweizerischen Vereinigung für Gewässerschutz und Lufthygiene. Gwf Wasser Abwasser 111. 181-182.
- Festschrift Otto Jaag zum 60. Geburtstag am 29. April 1960. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Hydrologie Vol. XXII, Fasc. I, 1960, 562 S. Birkhäuser Verlag Basel und Stuttgart.
Selected publications by Otto Jaag
- 1935: Eine neue Blaualge, Plectonema capitata. Berichte Schweizerische Botanische Gesellschaft, 44.
- 1952: Gewässerschutz in der Schweiz - I. Die neuere Entwicklung und der derzeitige Zustand schweizerischer Gewässer. Gwf Wasser Abwasser, 93/H.6, 145-152.
- 1954: Die Eidgenössische Anstalt für Wasserversorgung, Abwasserreinigung und Gewässerschutz an der E.T.H.; Aufgabe und Organisation. VSA Verbandsbericht, 31/1, 1-11.
- 1961: Aktuelle Probleme des Gewässerschutzes [mit Vorwort der Redaktion]. Wirtschaftspolitische Mitteilungen, 17/H.12.
- 1961: Edgardo Baldi Memorial Lecture - Selbstreinigungsmechanismen in Fliessgewässern. Verhandlungen der Internationalen Vereinigung für theoretische und angewandte Limnologie, 14, 41-58.
- 1964: Untersuchungen über die Trübungsverhältnisse, die Durchsichtigkeit und die Wasserfarbe in schweizerischen Gewässern. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Hydrologie, 26/1, 1-51.
- 1967: Die wissenschaftliche Leistung der Stiftung der Wirtschaft zur Förderung des Gewässerschutzes in der Schweiz. Plan, 24, 137-140.
- 1969: Katastrophen und Gewässerschutz in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart. Zivilschutz, Nr. 5-9.
- 1970: Muss die Menschheit wirklich zugrunde gehen? Abschiedsvorlesung anlässlich des ETH Tages vom 14. Nov. 1970.