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May 4, 2004

DRI president appointed to National Academy of Sciences environmental advisory board

Dr. Stephen G. Wells High resolution image available.

RENO, Nev. — DRI President Stephen G. Wells has been named to the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, a nationally prominent environmental advisory body to the National Academy of Sciences. Wells, a geomorphologist specializing in the evolution of arid land surfaces and soils, as well as a noted environmental-policy scientist, joins the board immediately and will serve through 2006.

As advisors to the National Research Council—the chief operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences—the earth science group provides independent counsel on scientific and technical questions of national importance. BESR is one of several committees in wide-ranging areas of science and technology providing expert advice to the NRC.

“In addition to being a gifted chief executive, Dr. Wells is a distinguished scientist in his own right,” said Dr. Jane Nichols, chancellor of the University and Community College System of Nevada. “His appointment to this prestigious advisory board bears further witness to his national reputation as a science leader and that of the Desert Research Institute as well.”

Established in 1988, the board is known as “the nation's eyes, ears and voice for the earth sciences.” It is considered a focal point for NRC activities related to environmental research involving the environment, natural hazards, resources and education. The board works to combine technical analyses, peer review, testimony from the research community, policy makers and the public to ensure that the best scientific knowledge is available to decision-makers in government, academia and industry.

“I am deeply honored to be able to contribute to the board, which represents a critical intersection of science and policy,” Wells said.

More information on the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources can be found online at:

http://www7.nationalacademies.org/besr/index.html.

A nonprofit, statewide division of the University and Community College System of Nevada, DRI pursues a full-time program of basic and applied environmental research on a local, national and international scale. Nearly 500 full- and part-time scientists, technicians and support staff conduct some 150 research projects at DRI annually. More than 85 percent of DRI’s annual $37 million operating budget consists of research grants and contracts obtained by its scientists. The balance is received from the State of Nevada for administrative costs.

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