Alumni News

Ralph Davis Wins the Distinguished Service Award from GSA Hydrogeology Division

The award for Distinguished Service is presented to Ralph K. Davis in recognition of his pioneering contributions to practical studies in hydrogeology, his mentorship in the field through teaching, and his service to the profession as Secretary/Treasurer of the Hydrogeology Division.

Ralph's professional career begin with him serving as Manager of the Big Bend Groundwater Management in Kansas. This district became a leader in water management under his guidance. He made sure that groundwater management was based on good science by cooperating with researchers from the Kansas Water Survey and the two major universities in the state. This cooperation led to journal papers on the effect of flood waves on groundwater levels, on patterns of groundwater level declines in developed aquifers, and on effects of groundwater pumping on river flows. He in essence wore two hats during these studies- the researcher and the manager.

Ralph continued to wear two hats during his dissertation that used the movement of Atrazine from the Platte River into the Lincoln wellfield to determine the dispersivity of a major alluvial aquifer. His findings were used by the cities to petition the state legislature to grant surface water rights to groundwater wells. The cities now have formal appropriative water rights for each well in their wellfield. Once again while contributing to the science he also contributed to society in very tangible way.

Ralph undertook a water study of the tribal lands of the Omaha Tribe. This initial study has led to Ralph's continuing history of working with Native Americans. This work in itself is ample reason to select him for this year's Distinguished Service Award.

His research has continued to benefit the science and society as he has moved from studying alluvial aquifers to karstic aquifers. As always, management of the groundwater resource has been enhanced by his research with the establishment of a long-term field study area that has led to greater understanding of the interaction of people and the aquifer.

He is currently serving as Director of the Arkansas Water Resources Center in addition to his teaching and researc responsibilities at the University of Arkansas. In this position he is helping and guiding students and professionals in water resources studies and providing the leadership for direction of efforts.

He has served the Hydrogeology Division as Program Chair for the Toronto Meeting, and has routinely organized a session for the Annual GSA Meeting. Of special note is that he is in his 3rd term as Secretary-Treasurer of the Hydrogeology Division. The institutional memory and dedication that he has brought to this position has made a difference in the quality of the Division activities through the year and at national meetings.

For his superb scientific and management leadership and mentorship in the hydrogeologic profession, the Hydrogeology Division takes great pride in presenting Ralph K. Davis with the Distinguished Service Award for 2005.

Aradhna Srivastav Named Manager of the Year at DEQ

Department of Geosciences alumna Dr. Aradhna Srivastav (2003, thesis supervisor Dr. David Harwood) was awarded the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality's 2005 Manager of the Year Award. Governor Dave Heineman will present this award along with others in an employee recognition ceremony held at the State Capitol in December 2005. Her portrait is displayed at the Nebraska State Capitol through the month of October 2005. She was awarded this honor in recognition of her exceptional performance as the supervisor of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)/Federal Facilities Unit of the NDEQ Waste Management Division. She oversees monitoring and cleanup of groundwater contamination sites in Nebraska .

READ MORE Dr. Srivastav has worked for the NDEQ since 2000. The NDEQ is the state government counterpart of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and was created pursuant to passage of the Nebraska Environmental Protection Act in 1971 for the protection of Nebraska 's air, land and water resources. The Department has a total annual budget of approximately $78.9 million and is divided into Air, Water, and Waste Divisions. Dr. Srivastav oversees groundwater monitoring and cleanups at all groundwater contamination sites in Nebraska related to municipal landfills and other non-hazardous and hazardous waste disposal sites regulated by the Nebraska Integrated Solid Waste Management Regulations , Ground Water Quality Standards and Use Classification, and Hazardous Waste Regulations as well as the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). She also oversees environmental cleanups at all of the federal facilities sites in Nebraska authorized by state and federal environmental regulations mentioned earlier as well as the Nebraska Remedial Action Plan Monitoring Act , the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (better known as the Superfund) and the RCRA. Such sites include all U.S. Department of Defense sites including formerly used defense sites. This includes cleanup at UNL's Agricultural Research and Development Center at Mead, Nebraska , which is part of the Mead Superfund site .

Bayani Cardenas Receives Horton Research Grant

Our alumnus of 2002, Bayani Cardenas received The Horton Research Grant in 2005. This is the highest award and honor bestowed on a graduate student member of the American Geophysical Union(AGU) in hydrology. Of the entire AGU community, only one or two awards are made annually. This success comes as another step after the Fall 2004 AGU meeting in San Francisco, where Bayani's presentation on research done at here at UNL's Geosciences Department received an "Outstanding Student Paper Award". We wish Bayani every success in his PhD program at New Mexico Tech.

UNL Alumnus Receives Outstanding Student Paper Award at Fall AGU

At the Fall 2004 AGU meeting in San Francisco, a presentation by UNL Geosciences alumnus Bayani Cardenas received an "Outstanding Student Paper Award". In his award letter of February 2005, Caryn Kuebler, of AGU's Outreach & Research Committee, wrote: "Your presentation set an example for your fellow students and the entire AGU membership." Outstanding Student Paper Award winners will be announced in an upcoming publication of Eos and Bayani will soon be receiving a formal certificate of achievement. Parts of this research were published recently in Cardenas et al., 2004, Water Resources Research (click here to download .pdf of article). The Department of Geosciences wishes Bayani every success in his PhD program at New Mexico Tech.

UNL Alumnus Sails on JOIDES Resolution as "Teacher at Sea"

Dr. Jonathan Rice, Ph.D. 1990, a science teacher at Green Mountain Union High School in Chester, Vermont, sailed for two months onboard the JOIDES Resolution to the northeast Pacific Ocean to the eastern flank of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. He sailed as part of the Teacher at Sea program of the International Ocean Drilling Program (IPOD)'s Expedition 301. Read Jon's weekly journals to teachers.

Alumnus Mike McGuirre joins Davis Petroleum Corp

October 13, 2004: Mike is joining Davis as Senior Vice President to oversee the company's Rocky Mountain oil and gas operations. Read more...