Certificate of Commendation for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Water Resources presented by the National Association of Water Institute Directors and the National Association of State University and Land Grant Colleges, 1989
Engineer of the Year in Education Award, Arizona Society of Professional Engineers, 1992.
Quentin Mees Research Award, Arizona Water and Pollution Control Association, 1993.
Universities Council on Water Resources: Board of Directors (1992-1996) and President 1994-1995.
Certificate of Commendation, City of Tucson, Arizona, Completion of Soil Aquifer Investigation, January 1997.
Order of the Engineer, 1999
Distinguished Alumnus Award, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Illinois, 1999
Elected Fellow of American Society of Civil Engineers (F. ASCE), 2000
Elected Fellow of International Water Resources Association (F. IWRA), 2000
Association of American Publishers PSP Award (Honorable Mention in Engineering for Urban Water Supply Handbook), 2002
Elected Diplomat, Water Resources Engineer (D.WRE), American Academy of Water Resources Engineering (AAWRE), 2007
Lifetime Member of ASCE, 2013
G.V. Loganathan Distinguished Lecture, April 24, 2014, Realities of Water Resources Sustainability during the Past and the Present: Can Ancient Water Technologies and Traditional Knowledge Along with Modern Technologies Help the Poor in the Future?” The G.V. Loganathan Lecture Series was established to honor the contributions of scholarship, instruction and service by Dr. G.V. Loganathan in the area of water resources engineering and in memory of Dr. Loganathan and his students of the Advanced Hydrology class, 2007.
ASCE Julian Hinds Award (2014) – The award citation read: “For his research on water resources and hydro systems addressing optimization and risk/reliability analysis for their design, management and operation, and his authoritative text and reference books that have had world-wide impact.” In selecting you for this award, the committee particularly noted your impressive body of research.
Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water – Surface Water Prize, (2014) December 2014, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “The Surface Water Prize is awarded for his comprehensive work in surface water hydrology and water resources engineering, culminating in three leading and innovative textbooks in the field, and for his applying this extensive knowledge base to develop optimization models in practical hydrology for current problems, including real-time optimal dam release during flood conditions and watershed development in urban areas.”
2015 Warren E. Hall Medal presented by the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) in June 2015. The Warren A. Hall Medal, named in honor of one of the council’s founders and a well-known leader in water resources research and education, honors those with distinctive records of advancing knowledge in the area – particularly teachers who have demonstrated a strong commitment to the education of students.
2016 Fellow of the International Water Association (IWA) – The London-based IWA is a leading organization for professionals in water-related science, engineering and technology fields, with close to 10,000 individual and 500 corporate members in about 80 countries. Mays was elected to receive this honor on the basis of his “extraordinary record of accomplishments” in areas including hydrology, water resources sustainability and the history of ancient water systems.
2016 Inducted into the Academy of Civil Engineers at the Missouri School of Science and Technology.
2016 ASCE Ven Te Chow Award – For his research on watersheds, water resources, water infrastructure, and hydrosystems addressing their design, management, and optimal operations, and his popular and authoritative textbooks and handbooks that have had an international impact.
