Dr. Charles T. Driscoll, 2023 Clarke Prize Laureate
NWRI is pleased to announce that Professor Charles T. Driscoll has been selected to receive the 2023 Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Water Science and Technology. Driscoll is the University and Distinguished Professor of Environmental Systems Engineering in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science.
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Driscoll’s research largely involves characterizing and quantifying the impacts of air pollution, such as acid rain and mercury, changing climate, and land and water disturbances on the structure and function of ecosystems, and pathways of ecosystem recovery. Much of his work has focused on forests and associated aquatic resources, including long-term studies at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire and the Huntington Wildlife Forest in the Adirondacks, New York. Recent work has included strategies for the decarbonization of sectors and achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions.
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Over the past 40 years, Driscoll has advanced new analytical techniques, established and maintained long-term measurements and experiments, and developed a series of research and predictive models that simulate transformations of major chemical elements in forest vegetation, soil, and surface water in response to air pollution, climate, and land disturbance. Beyond theory, he is interested in testing in situ strategies to reverse the damaging effects of acid rain and mercury contamination, eutrophication, urbanization, and climate change.
Driscoll has testified at US Congressional and state legislative committee hearings, and provided briefings to government agencies, industry and stakeholder groups on environmental issues. He has served on local, national and international committees pertaining to environmental management and policy.
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Driscoll will receive the 30th Clarke Prize and give the Clarke Prize Lecture at the Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences & Engineering in Irvine, California, on October 21, 2023. To attend the event, fill out the form on the Clarke Prize Invitation page.
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The Clarke Prize is considered one of the most prestigious awards in water science. It is awarded to thought leaders in water research, science, technology, or policy in the United States. Past honorees have included some of the most significant figures in civil and environmental engineering; the water, biological, physical, chemical, health, and political sciences; and public planning and policy.
For more information, please contact Mary Collins at mcollins@nwri-usa.org