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QIN ZHANG, director, Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems, and professor, Department of Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, is being honored for his outstanding contributions to the advancement of knowledge and technology in off-road equipment mechatronics, intelligent agricultural machinery, and agricultural automation. Zhang’s distinguished career to date have included providing farmers practical and usable automation technologies such as tractor auto-guidance systems, on-equipment real-time crop health detection systems, site-specific data process and decision support tools, and automated variable-rate application controls to practice mechanized precision farming operations. He developed mechatronics technologies suitable for agricultural equipment use such as advanced control technologies for tractor/combine hydraulic implement systems and equipment health prognostic tools. He developed mechanization technologies applicable in horticulture production such as mechanical harvest of tree fruit and mechanical thinning of blossoms and green fruit. He has also developed mechanization technologies for biofuels feedstock production. Many of Zhang’s technologies have been adopted by equipment manufacturers, with huge economic impact. In 2009, Zhang started to serve at the Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems at Washington State University and as the center director has led a ten-faculty-member team conducting trans-disciplinary research and extension on agricultural automation and mechanization. The team has led or participated in more than 20 federal, state, and industry research projects, with a total budget of more than $10 million. The Center successfully developed a targeted sprayer and a mechanical blossom-thinning technology ready for commercialization, and has established two formal research and education collaborative relationships with similar programs in Germany and Japan. Zhang initiated and established an international forum for precision agriculture technologies and organized its first meeting, which included 20 plus international research leaders, to discuss strategies for advancing related research and education. He has created and taught five engineering courses that have formed the core in the curriculum of agricultural equipment mechatronics at UIUC and WSU. Zhang has authored or coauthored more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, 160 presented papers, and three books. His research work has resulted in nine U.S. patents. In his 25 years of ASABE membership, Zhang has contributed leadership to Power and Machinery, Information and Electrical Technology (IET), and Award committees. He has co-chaired two ASABE-sponsored conferences on Automation Technology for Off-road Equipment, served as IET division associate editor for Transactions of the ASABE, and chaired the Central Illinois section. In addition to various innovative and excellence in teaching, research, and faculty honors, he has received ASABE awards that include eight Paper and IET Select Meeting Paper awards. Other professional activities include membership in the Club of Bologna and involvement as a Board member of CIGR Section III.