UCOWR recognizes nine award categories: Warren A. Hall Medal, Early Career Award for Applied Research, Early Career Award for Extension/Outreach/Engagement, Mid-Career Award for Applied Research, Mid-Career Award for Extension/Outreach/Engagement, Friends of UCOWR, Education and Public Service Award, Ph.D. Dissertation Award, and JCWRE Paper of the Year. Recipients are nominated by UCOWR delegates and are recognized during the Awards Banquet at the Annual Conference. Awards may not be given if no nominations were submitted or a deserving recipient was not identified.
Click the links below to zoom to the current award recipients.
Congratulations to all awardees!
Warren A. Hall Medal Recipient
Early Career Award for Applied Research
Early Career Award for Extension/Outreach/Engagement
Mid-Career Award for Applied Research
Mid-Career Award for Extension/Outreach/Engagement
Education and Public Service Award
Ph.D. Dissertation Award Recipients
2025 Warren A. Hall Medal Recipient
Dr. Michael Campana, emeritus Professor of Geography, passed away on August 25 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. He came to OSU in 2009 to direct the Institute for Water and Watersheds after a long and successful career at the University of New Mexico’s Water Resources Program. He received a doctorate in hydrology from the University of Arizona and has done extensive research on water resources internationally — notably in Central America, the South Caucasus and Central Asia — and on transboundary water resource issues, water allocation and availability, and other areas . Campana has served on a number of federal research committees, is the past chair of the 10,000-member Association of Ground Water Scientists and Engineers and has participated in many other national and international water research and management initiatives. He spent many years in service to the AWRA, serving as president-elect, then as president. He was also the Technical Editor for the journal Impact published by the AWRA. He received numerous awards and honors in his lifetime, including the International Service Award from the US Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologist for outstanding international contributions in hydrogeology (2015), and the President’s Award for Excellence from the AWRA in 2019.
Importantly, he coined the term “hydrophilanthropy” to describe his philanthropic efforts to improve water resources in developing countries, work that was dedicated to the memory of his sister Ann Campana Judge, who was killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks. He and his wife Mary Frances have generously sponsored a scholarship at the OSU Foundation that assisted numerous students in the Water Resources Graduate Program, including several students in the Water Cooperation and Diplomacy degree program who would not have been able to participate in the program and earn their degrees without the Campana scholarship.
Michael advised many students on topics including transboundary groundwater resources; integrated and sustainable water resources management; water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) in developing regions; regional hydrogeology; science-policy interface; and communications. He maintained an active blog, WaterWired, about water resources matters. His deep and broad contributions earned him the nickname “aquadoc.” We, and many people involved in water resources around the world, will miss him.
2025 Early Career Award for Applied Research
Dr. Gurbir Singh’s faculty appointment includes research and extension responsibilities in applied soil science-agroecology and landscape position management. He serves as a State Extension Specialist for landscape position management. His research is focused on spatial/temporal modeling of nutrient dynamics in the plant, soil, water, and gaseous phases ranging from plot scale to watershed scale. His research involves understanding the effects of management practices such as cover crops, tillage, and topography on crop yields and soil and water quality in row crop production systems. At the Northern Missouri Research, Extension, and Education Center, his program emphasizes nutrient management for sustainable crop production that reduces environmental effects at the field and farm scale. As an early career, he contributed extensively to the University’s research mission. He has authored or co-authored over 79 peer-reviewed journal articles and generated over 4.4 million dollars in grant funding for his research program.
2025 Early Career Award for Extension/Outreach/Engagement
Dr. Mallika Nocco is an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. Her areas of expertise are in agrohydrology, irrigation, soil-plant-water conservation, crop water use physiology, soil physical health, and thermal/multispectral aerial imagery for crop water stress evaluation across the United States. She has delivered >80 extension events, produced >100 extension products, and published 25 scientific publications. Mallika is a 2014 EPA STAR Fellow and 2017 David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow who is passionate about policy-relevant science and communication. She works with growers, policymakers, and water districts to develop irrigation management strategies that balance farm livelihoods, soil health, and water conservation. She is the co-host of the Water Talk Podcast (https://www.watertalkpodcast.com) and director of the Conservation Irrigation Lab (https://www.irrigationlab.com). Contact: Mallika Nocco, nocco@wisc.edu, @mallika_nocco on Twitter.
2025 Mid-Career Award for Applied Research
Dr. Kelly M. Cobourn is an Associate Professor in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech. She is a natural resource economist who specializes in identifying and understanding the linkages between natural systems and human decision making. Her research advances modeling and policy analysis to explore questions that sit at the intersection of economics with diverse disciplines, including hydrology, agronomy, and entomology. Applications of her work examine the adaptation of irrigated agriculture to climate change, the conjunctive management of surface and groundwater resources, and the degradation of freshwater quality. She has worked in both academic and policy settings, including as a natural resource policy analyst at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. She currently teaches courses in water policy and economics as part of an interdisciplinary undergraduate water degree program.
2025 Mid-Career Award for Extension/Outreach/Engagement
Dr. Allen Berthold is the Associate Director of the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI), where he has worked since 2009. Over the past 16 years, Dr. Berthold has become a leader in water-related outreach and engagement, driving sustainable water management practices across Texas. He has led initiatives addressing both urban and agricultural water challenges, with a substantial amount of work on improving in-stream water quality and promoting water conservation practices.
His work has resulted in over $34 million in externally funded projects, including more than $12 million dedicated specifically to his program. Dr. Berthold has also developed a highly impactful outreach program, reaching nearly 300,000 people with educational materials on water conservation and sustainable practices.
A dedicated educator and leader, Dr. Berthold holds advanced degrees in agricultural leadership, water management, and nonprofit management from Texas A&M University, where he continues to inspire positive change in water conservation.
2025 Friends of UCOWR Recipient
No award recipient
2025 Education and Public Service Award Recipient
Dr. Venkatesh Merwade is a professor in the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering at Purdue University. His research and teaching interests include surface water hydrology with focus on flood modeling and mapping. Much of his work has been on improving 3D representation of river channels, simulation of hydrologic processes for flood prediction by using GIS, data driven techniques and advances in cyberinfrastructure. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles in the area of river channels, watershed hydrology and flood modeling. Some of his recent awards include the Education and Outreach Award (2024) from the Indiana Association for Floodplain and Stormwater Management, Best Technical Paper Award (2024) from the ASCE Journal of Hydrologic Engineering, and the Outstanding Achievement Award (2018) from the Indiana Water Resources Association. Dr. Merwade provides online educational content, which is used globally by students, instructors and working professionals for learning hydrology.
2025 Ph.D. Dissertation Award Recipients
Natural Science & Engineering Category
Dr. Simone A. Williams is an expert in water resources management, natural resource governance, climate resilience, and equity. She holds a Ph.D. in Arid Lands Resource Sciences, specializing in water science, policy, and management. Her research integrates geostatistical and hydrological modeling with policy-driven solutions to advance sustainable water management and equitable policy outcomes.
With over 25 years of leadership in natural resource and sustainable development across the U.S. and internationally, Dr. Williams has shaped interdisciplinary research at the intersection of water sustainability, land use management, environmental policy, and social equity. Her work, recognized by three high-impact journals with featured cover articles and a Paper of the Year award, underscores its significance in the field.
Beyond academia, she collaborates with governments, businesses, nonprofits, and multilateral institutions to develop sustainable, data-driven water solutions worldwide. A recognized leader in decision-support systems and stakeholder engagement, she translates complex science into actionable strategies, bridging research and practice to drive equitable and resilient water management.
Water Policy & Economics Category
Dr. Kevin Wallington received his PhD in Civil Engineering (concentration in Water Resources Engineering and Science) from the University of Illinois, where he also received his M.S. (Civil Engineering) and B.S. (Mechanical Engineering). Kevin’s dissertation provides new tools, techniques, and insights to (1) better understand watershed scale phosphorus dynamics and (2) manage phosphorus to meet both water quality and agricultural production objectives. Results from Kevin’s dissertation reset expectations for when (and how) the phosphorus load reduction goals of the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force can be met. Currently, Kevin is a postdoctoral researcher in the Automatic Control Laboratory at ETH Zurich, where he adapts techniques from system dynamics and control theory to analyze coupled human-natural systems and improve water resources management. Kevin’s work in this area includes formal safety verification for agricultural nutrient management and optimal reservoir operation across multiple time scales.
JCWRE Paper of the Year 2025
“Assessment of Recycled and Manufactured Adsorptive Materials for Phosphate Removal from Municipal Wastewater” JCWRE 179, January 2024.
Authors: Deja Drummond, Shannon Brink, and Natasha Bell
