Donald I. Siegel, chair of the Department of Earth Sciences in Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences, has been appointed a 2013 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fellow, a designation awarded to 0.1 percent of all AGU members in any given year. The holder of Meredith and Heroy professorships in the department, he is one of 62 individuals to have been elected to the 2013 class of Fellows. The cohort includes C. Page Chamberlain '79, professor of environmental Earth systems at Stanford University.

Siegel, who joined SU’s faculty in 1982, was awarded the AGU fellowship for his seminal contributions to the understanding of hydrology and biogeochemistry of peatlands and deep aquifer systems:

"To be elected a Union Fellow is a special tribute for those who have made exceptional scientific contributions," states the AGU. "Nominated Fellows must have attained acknowledged eminence in the Earth and space sciences. Primary criteria for evaluation in scientific eminence are: (1) major breakthrough, (2) major discovery, (3) paradigm shift, and/or (4) sustained impact." 

“This is a tremendous honor, and I am thankful to the AGU for awarding me such an esteemed award,” Siegel says.  “Seldom do people get to say they love what they do, but, fortunately for me, I am one of the few. I work with a fantastic group of scientists, faculty, and graduate students, all of whom are dedicated to their work, conducting impactful research and educating the students we teach.” 

Department chair since 2013, Siegel is a fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Geological Society of America, the latter of which has awarded him its Distinguished Service Award, the Meinzer Award for research contributions, and the Birdsall-Dreiss Lectureship. Siegel is a lifetime associate member of the National Research Council (an arm of the National Academy of Sciences), over whose Water Science and Technology Board he recently presided. He has authored more than 150 scientific articles and has lent his expertise to governmental agencies, industry, non-profits, and legal firms. Siegel holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.

AGU is a not-for-profit professional scientific organization, representing more than 62,000 members in 144 countries. The organization advances the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of humanity through its scholarly publications, conferences, and outreach programs.