2012 Earth Science Achievement Awards
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The 2012 New Mexico Earth Science Achievement Awards were presented on February 13th to William C. Olson, for outstanding contributions advancing the role of earth science in areas of public service and public policy in New Mexico, and to G. Emlen Hall, for outstanding contributions in advancing earth science and education in New Mexico. These awards, co-sponsored by the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, a division of New Mexico Tech in Socorro, and the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) in Santa Fe, were initiated in 2003 to honor those often unrecognized champions of earth science issues vital to the future of New Mexico. Selections were made following a statewide nomination process.
The presentation occurred at noon in the rotunda of the state capitol building on Monday, February 13, during the legislative session, in conjunction with Earth Science Day. The presentations were made by John Bemis, the cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, and by L. Greer Price, (then) interim director (now emeritus) of the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources.
Public Policy & Service
William Olson retired in 2011 from the New Mexico Environment Department, where he headed the Ground Water Quality Bureau. His twenty-five years in state government included positions with the Oil Conservation Division, on the Water Quality Control Commission, and on the Oil Conservation Commission.
Research & Education
Emlen Hall is professor emeritus in the School of Law at the University of New Mexico. For many years his focus has been on the history of land and water in the Southwest. He is the author of High and Dry: The Texas-New Mexico Struggle for the Pecos River and, most recently, co-author of Reining in the Rio Grande: People, Land and Water.
The New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources is a non-regulatory research and service division of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro that has served as the geological survey for the state of New Mexico since 1927. EMNRD provides resource protection, recreation, and resource development services to the public and other state agencies. Nominations for next year’s awards are welcome from the general public and may be made directly to the director of the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources.
Nominations for next year's awards are welcome from the general public.