Purpose
This prize is made possible by generous gifts from family and friends to honor the late Dr. Eugene S. Simpson, Professor Emeritus and former Head, Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, at the University of Arizona. The Eugene S. Simpson Endowment was established to provide financial support for undergraduate and graduate students, especially those studying hydrogeology and subsurface hydrology.
History
Eugene S. Simpson began his professional career with the U.S. Geological Survey in 1946 where he was involved with problems of migration and dispersion of radioactive wastes that might accidentally or operationally be discharged into groundwater.
In 1963, he was hired by Dr. John W. Harshbarger as a member of HWR's inaugural faculty, and he continued to pursue his research interests in aquifer mechanics, the migration of pollutants in groundwater, and the application of environmental tracers to problems of groundwater circulation. Simpson served as HWR Department Head from 1974-75 and 1979-81.
After his retirement in 1985, he remained active in the profession, serving the U.S. Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) as Secretary-Treasurer from 1984-89 and as President from 1989-92.
During his tenure as President, he became the Founding Editor and first Editor-in-Chief of the IAH journal, Applied Hydrogeology, which later became Hydrogeology Journal (Springer), the official journal of the IAH.
The Geological Society of America Hydrogeology Division honored him with the Distinguished Service Award in 1992, and the International Association of Hydrogeologists elected him an Honorary Member in 1993.
Following retirement, he resided in Tucson until his death at the age of 78 in December 1995. At that time, the Eugene S. Simpson Endowment was established to provide financial support for undergraduate and graduate students, especially those studying hydrogeology and subsurface hydrology.
Award
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