AGI will also recognize Dr. Wolman at its own reception and awards ceremony on Tuesday evening, Oct. 21. This ceremony is traditionally held during the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, an affiliated member society of the institute. This year's event will take place from 5:00-7:00 p.m., in the Arizona Room of the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City.

Few scientists have influenced their chosen field more profoundly than Wolman, affectionately known to his colleagues as "Reds." His teaching and research career have been devoted to the study of watershed and river processes and landscape evolution. Many of his published articles on geomorphology, spanning four decades, are still regarded as landmark documents. Long before the first Earth Day, he was writing about water quality and the effects of human activities on fluvial systems. Much of his work has provided the basis for current national science policy.

A native of Baltimore, Wolman earned a bachelor of arts degree from The Johns Hopkins University in 1949, and master's and doctoral degrees in geology from Harvard University in 1951 and 1953. After graduate study, he joined the U.S. Geological Survey and began his extensive research on the workings of rivers, focusing first on Brandywine Creek, Pa. This small watershed became known among hydrologists worldwide as the gauge against which the processes of all other streams and rivers were to be measured.

Much of Reds's work has been part of a tradition of community service, handed down by his father, Dr. Abel Wolman, to benefit the global environment. Many federal environmental statutes reflect his influence on the decisions being made by this generation of lawmakers and regulators -- decisions that will affect communities and individual citizens well into the 21st century.

Wolman was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1988. He is also a Fellow of numerous scientific academies and societies, including GSA, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Geophysical Union (AGU). He is past president of GSA and of the Hydrology Section of AGU.

The AGI Medal in memory of Ian Campbell is awarded to a person who exemplifies the accomplishments and widespread influence of this remarkable geoscientist. Campbell was president of AGI in 1961.