El Dia Historic Awards and Prizes

Awards, donors, and recipients

At El Día del Agua y la Atmósfera, the annual student research symposium, students are recognized by juried committees for superior achievement in oral and poster presentations, community service, or other student-related activities.

Awards and prizes are sponsored by HAS alumni and legacy donors to honor past faculty members and corporate and government agency donors who employ HAS undergraduate and graduate students upon graduation. For a list of award recipients, click on the Award or Prize name below.

If you'd like to read about the student-selected Super Heroes Awards made to Outstanding Faculty Instructors and Staff, go here.

Legacy Awards

Donald R. Davis Undergraduate Distinction Awards

Award for best undergraduate poster to recognize a student who has demonstrated excellence in writing, speaking, and visual poster presentation skills OR has demonstrated attributes of superior achievement, academic excellence, or distinctive service: Certificate and Award of $500 - Awards made to one student emphasizing Hydrology and one student emphasizing Atmospheric Sciences*

*An additional award for a student in Atmospheric Sciences was sponsored by the Salt River Project (inaugural year 2025).

Stanley N. Davis Award

Award for best poster presentation in the area of Hydrogeology: Certificate and award of $500

HAS Alum, Dr. Peter Mock, sponsors this award.

Hargis Awards

Awards for best posters (First and Second Place): Certificate and Award of $1,000 and $400 respectively

HAS Alum, Dr. David Hargis, sponsored the awards.

Benjamin Herman Award

Award for best oral presentation in the area of Atmospheric Sciences (excluding Krider Award): Certificate and Award of $1,000

The Benjamin Herman Award is sponsored by the Benjamin M. Herman Endowment.

Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences Award of Excellence-Oral

Award for best oral presentation (excluding Montgomery Prize): Certificate and Award of $500

Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences Award of Excellence-Poster

Award for best poster presentation (excluding Hargis Awards): Certificate and Award of $500

E. Philip Krider Award

Award for best oral presentation in the area of Atmospheric Sciences: Certificate and Award of $2,500. A Second Place Award of $500 was added in 2025.

Spirit of Tom Meixner Award

Award to recognize community spirit and collaborative efforts: Certificate and Award of $500

The Salt River Project created The Spirit of Tom Meixner Award in 2023 to honor the memory of the late Dr. Tom Meixner.

Montgomery Prize

Award for the best oral presentation in the area of Hydrology and Water Resources: Certificate and Award of $2,500. A Second Place Award of $500 was added in 2025.

HAS Alum, Dr. Errol L. Montgomery, created the prize, and the company, Montgomery & Associates, continues to sponsor the award.

Glenn E. Shaw Award

Award for Best Poster Presentation in Atmospheric Sciences recognizing excellence in technical communication, writing, and visual presentation in a poster format. Certificate and Award of $1,000 sponsored by a HAS Advisory Board Member in honor of the late HAS alumnus, Glenn E. Shaw.

Eugene S. Simpson Undergraduate Prize

Award for the best undergraduate poster with a priority in the areas of Hydrogeology or Subsurface Hydrology: Certificate and Award of $500

The Simpson Undergraduate Prize is sponsored by the Eugene S. Simpson Endowment to the Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences.

El Dia Historic Awards and Prizes