George Pinder, a professor of civil and environmental engineering in UVM’s College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, has won a lifetime achievement award from the Environmental and Water Resources Institute, a division of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Pinder, a national authority on using mathematical modeling to predict the movement of pollutants in groundwater, was honored at a ceremony in West Palm Beach, Florida, on May 23.  

The EWRI award is given to individuals who have made a significant contribution to their field over the course of their careers.

“George has made major advancements in our ability to understand the movement of pollutants in groundwater, helping inform wise public policy and improving human welfare,” said Jery Stedinger, chair of the EWRI awards committee and a professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell. “His consistent leadership over the years and his mentoring of junior scientists have pushed the profession forward. It's a great occasion to be able to give this award to someone like George, who is so admired by his colleagues and has made such a contribution over a long period of time.”

Pinder has received numerous other awards during his career, culminating in his being named a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2010, the most prestigious honor in the field.

Other recognitions he has received include:

• The Horton Award, presented by the American Geophysical Union for an outstanding paper on hydrology (1969)
• The O.E. Meinzer Award, presented by the Geological Society of America for an outstanding contribution to the field of hydrogeology (1975)
• Fellow, the American Geophysical Union (1993)
• The Julian Hinds Medal of the American Society of Civil Engineers for advancing  engineering in the field of planning, development, and management of water resources (2002).
• The American Society of Civil Engineers Distinguished Member Medal (2012)      

Pinder famously inspired a character bearing his name in the 1998 Oscar-nominated film A Civil Action, starring John Travolta, which was based on a real case brought by residents of Woburn, Massachusetts, against W. R. Grace and Beatrice Foods. The plaintiffs accused the companies of allowing carcinogens on their manufacturing sites to leach into the water table, causing an epidemic of fatal leukemia cases.

During the real trial, Pinder spent 12 consecutive days on the witness stand. While the case was settled for less than the plaintiffs had hoped, the Environmental Protection Agency, building on Pinder’s testimony, successfully sued both companies. 

Pinder is still invited to make presentations on the case, which is considered foundational in environmental law, about a twice a year.