LAWRENCE — Sam Zipper, assistant scientist and geohydrologist on the Kansas Geological Survey on the College of Kansas, is the 2022 recipient of the Kohout Early Profession Award from the Hydrogeology Division of the Geological Society of America, nominated for his work to assist perceive and enhance water assets in agricultural, city and pure environments.

The award, given yearly to a scientist age 35 or youthful or inside 5 years of receiving their highest diploma, acknowledges the recipient’s contributions to the hydrogeologic occupation by way of authentic analysis and repair in addition to a demonstrated potential for continued excellence all through their profession.

On the KGS, Zipper leads the HydroEcology of Anthropogenic Landscapes (HEAL@KGS) analysis group and, with KGS assistant scientist Erin Seybold, leads the survey’s geohydrology internship program. A lot of his analysis focuses on how water and land administration selections have an effect on the folks, economic system and setting of the Nice Plains.

“His work wrestles with one of many thorniest societal issues of our day — how can we sustainably handle our land and water assets to help human life and livelihood, guarantee meals and clear water for a rising inhabitants, and protect pure ecosystems each now and for future generations?” mentioned Steven Loheide, professor on the College of Wisconsin-Madison, who was Zipper’s doctoral adviser and nominated him for the award.

Zipper’s analysis contains inspecting the relationships between intermittent and ephemeral streams and playas and different ecological techniques, learning the results of irrigator-driven groundwater conservation applications on water assets and creating easy-to-use instruments to estimate streamflow depletion attributable to groundwater pumping.

“I feel Sam’s contributions have been notably vital as a result of they transcend disciplinary boundaries, utilizing a spread of area strategies, numerical modeling, analytical and statistical strategies, and social science to deal with societally related grand challenges,” Loheide mentioned.

Zipper’s present analysis on water assets in Kansas is funded partially by way of a number of massive grants from the Nationwide Science Basis, U.S. Division of Agriculture, U.S. Geological Survey and NASA.

“The KGS and KU have been a splendidly supportive place to construct a profession centered on water points that have an effect on residents of Kansas and the Nice Plains and that matter to folks world wide,” Zipper mentioned. “It’s actually heartening to know that the analysis I’m doing has made an impression. Working by way of COVID, it was difficult to attach with different members of each the state water administration and international water analysis communities, and typically engaged on analysis felt like releasing issues into the void. This award is an encouraging indication that individuals paid consideration to and valued what I’ve been doing the previous couple of years.”

Zipper has been a member of the KGS since 2019 and is the writer or co-author of 58 scientific publications with greater than 250 co-authors from greater than 150 establishments.

“Sam is a very deserving recipient of the Kohout Early Profession Award,” mentioned Scott Ishman, affiliate director for analysis on the KGS. “His analysis is very related to the state of Kansas and globally, addressing water useful resource availability, use, entry and sustainability. The Kansas Geological Survey is lucky to have such an achieved early profession scientist who shares his love and pleasure for his analysis together with his colleagues and college students.”

Membership within the Geological Society of America consists of greater than 20,000 earth scientists worldwide. Its Hydrogeology Division, established in 1959, promotes analysis and dialogue throughout the department of the geological sciences centered on water assets. The Kohout Early Profession Award is called for Francis Kohout, an early pioneer within the research of geothermal saltwater convection in carbonate platforms. Zipper will obtain the award throughout GSA’s annual assembly in October.

The Kansas Geological Survey is a nonregulatory analysis and repair division of the College of Kansas. KGS researchers research and supply details about the state’s geologic assets and hazards, together with groundwater, oil and pure fuel, rocks and minerals, and earthquakes.

— Story by Julie Tollefson.