Ryan Hearty, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History of Science and Technology at Johns Hopkins University, has received the inaugural Water Scholar Award from the Colorado State University Libraries.

The Water Scholar Award is given to a researcher studying topics related to western water whose work would benefit from extensive use of the Water Resources Archive’s primary sources.

Hearty is writing his dissertation on the history and multidisciplinary science of water quality, tentatively titled, The Pollution Experts: Engineers and Water Quality Management in the United States, 1937-1983. The $1,500 award will go toward travel costs associated with his trip to Fort Collins to explore the CSU Libraries’ extensive archival materials related to water management.

“We are looking forward to having Ryan visit and dive into some of our collections here that have received less attention,” said Patty Rettig, water archivist at the CSU Libraries. “His research on water quality management will be strengthened by accessing materials that shed light on western contributions to the field.”

Tracing the emerging field of water quality management through the mid-twentieth century, Hearty plans to explore the papers of Robert Ward, a water quality monitoring expert, professor emeritus in the College of Engineering and director emeritus of the CSU Water Center. Ward is also credited with founding the Water Resources Archive.

Hearty will also investigate the papers of Frederic Eidsness, Jr., an environmental engineer and former assistant administrator for water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, who also worked for the Larimer-Weld Regional Council of Governments.

Hearty holds master’s degrees in history of science and technology and electrical engineering, as well as bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and electrical engineering. He is also a research fellow at the Consortium for History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Philadelphia.