UCI hydrology center awarded United Nations water prize

UC Irvine’s Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing (CHRS) has been named a joint winner of the prestigious 2007 Great Man-Made River International Water Prize. The center was recognized for its work in strengthening the ability to monitor water resources of arid and semi-arid regions around the world. Professor of civil and environmental engineering and Earth system science Soroosh Sorooshian (pictured), the center’s founding director, will accept the award from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Budapest, Hungary later this week. CHRS shares the honor with a research center at the University of Arizona that Sorooshian served as founding director for before coming to UCI about four years ago. This marks the first time the prize has been awarded to U.S. institutions.