Princeton scientist wins 'Nobel Prize of water,' March 22

By etu on March 22, 2002, 3:13 p.m.

Princeton hydrologist Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe has been selected to receive the Stockholm Water Prize, a $150,000 award known informally as the "Nobel Prize of water." The announcement was made Friday, March 22.

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden will present the award on behalf of the Stockholm Water Foundation at a ceremony in the Stockholm City Hall on Aug. 15.

The Stockholm Water Foundation , which has given the award annually since 1991, selected Rodriguez-Iturbe for his many contributions to the basic understanding of how water cycles between the oceans, the atmosphere and the continents. His work has ranged from discovering principles that govern the shape of all river basins to explaining the forces that drive cycles of floods and droughts.

"The cycle of water dramatically impacts all human activities," said Rodriguez-Iturbe, who holds the Theodora Shelton Pitney Professorship in Environmental Sciences. "From the water we drink and depend on for survival; to the rivers that provide clean and renewable energy; to the beauty of nature we enjoy in so many ways; to the weather that affects our lives -- and so many other things -- all are inseparably linked to hydrology."

"It is a wonderful prize, and I am honored to receive it," said Rodriguez-Iturbe, who has joint appointments in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Princeton Environmental Institute , where he currently serves as acting director.

Read the full story in the news release .

Contact: Marilyn Marks (609) 258-3601

 

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