News Release, Kansas Geological Survey, May 31, 2001
The award is presented annually by the Iowa State University Alumni Association in recognition of alumni who are nationally or internationally known for contributions in their fields. It is the highest award presented to an alumni by the ISU Alumni Association.
Watney, a native of Iowa, has an undergraduate and master's degree in geology from Iowa State. He completed a Ph.D. in geology from KU, and has been a staff member at the Survey since 1976. Watney specializes in studies of the state's subsurface geology and is particularly known for his work in petroleum. During last January's natural gas explosions in Hutchinson, Kansas, Watney was heavily involved in studies of the area's underground geology and possible pathways of the movement of natural gas.
In addition to working at the Survey, Watney is the executive director of the KU Energy Center and an adjunct professor in the KU and Kansas State University geology departments
Watney is a member of a number of scientific societies and Secretary-Treasurer of the Society of Sedimentary Geology. He was recently a member of the Board of Directors of the Kansas Geological Society and the House of Delegates of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
The award will be presented to Watney at Iowa State's Homecoming weekend in Ames in October.