NGWA News

Matthew “Matt” W. Becker, Ph.D., has been selected as the 2024 Darcy Distinguished Lecturer by NGWA and The Groundwater Foundation. Becker is currently the Conrey Chair in hydrogeology and professor of Earth sciences at California State University, Long Beach, and has previously worked with NASA, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the University at Buffalo. Becker, who specializes in the research of fluid flow in complex subsurface environments, will be presenting two lectures throughout the year—“Fiber Optic Distributed Sensing as a Window on Subsurface Flow” and “How Groundwater Impacts the People and Ecosystems of the South Pacific Islands.” “I’ve wondered my whole career what it would be like to be the Darcy Lecturer so I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity,” Becker says. “The Darcy lecture is about connecting people and ideas. My goal for this coming year is to help develop new networks for groundwater scientists around the globe.” In his role as Darcy Distinguished Lecturer, Becker will be traveling throughout 2024 presenting his lecture at universities and groundwater industry events across the country and abroad. Becker earned his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from the University of Texas and a B.S. degree in geology from Michigan State University. The Darcy Distinguished Lecture is named for Henry Darcy of France for his 1856 investigations that established the physical principle upon which modern groundwater hydrogeology is based. Additional financing for the award is provided by the environmental consulting firms S.S. Papadopulos & Associates Inc. and Woodard & Curran Inc. For more information about the Darcy Lecture series, visit www.ngwa.org/events-and-education/groundwaterlecture-series.