~ for immediate release

news release November 9, 2006

Contact: Heather Emmons, DRI PIO, heather.emmons@dri.edu, Reno (775) 673-7313 (w), (702) 743-3435 (c)

All DRI News Releases are available at: http://news.dri.edu/

DRI President Wells receives high honor from Indiana University    

Dr. Stephen Wells, DRI President

Reno, Nev.- DRI President Stephen Wells is being honored today by his alma mater, Indiana University, with the Richard Owen Alumni Award-the highest honor that the Department of Geological Sciences bestows on an alumnus.  The annual award is for outstanding achievement in the field of geological sciences, be it excellence as a researcher, teacher, explorer or management and be it the academia, industry, government sectors or as an independent entrepreneur.  The award honors one who has made the department proud at the highest level.  

Wells' distinguished educational and professional career began at Indiana University where he received a B.S. in geology in 1971.  He went on to receive a M.S. and Ph.D. in geology from the University of Cincinnati.   He was a professor at the University of New Mexico's department of geology from 1976-1991 and a professor of geomorphology at the University of California-Riverside until 1995 when he came to DRI as the executive director of the Quaternary Sciences Center as well as a research professor and graduate faculty member at the University of Nevada Reno.
 
The Owen Award is named in honor of Richard Owen, who taught courses in geology, natural history, botany and geography at Indiana University from 1864 to 1879.  He was the first IU professor to publish papers concerning geology.  The Owen Award was established in 1985 in celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the founding of IU's department of geological sciences.

ABOUT DRI: A nonprofit, statewide division of the Nevada System of Higher Education, or NSHE, DRI pursues a full-time program of basic and applied environmental research on a local, national, and international scale.  More than 500 full- and part-time scientists, technicians, and support staff conduct more than 300 research projects at DRI annually.  DRI generates $50 million in total revenue consisting predominately of competitively won research contracts and grants. The State of Nevada provides critical funding in support of DRI's administration, operations, and maintenance through the NSHE education budget.  While DRI’s portion of the NSHE budget is approximately one percent, the institute leverages these funds to enhance its competitiveness.