Dr. John Suen, a professor of earth and environmental sciences at California State University, Fresno, will become a fellow of the Geological Society of America.

Suen will be honored Oct. 17-19 at the society’s annual meeting in Portland, Ore.

The Geological Society of America, which has more than 22,000 members in 85 countries, elects fellows each year based on contributions to the advancement of geosciences.

Suen was nominated or his work in earth science as a distinguished researcher and professor at Fresno State since 1990 and as chief of hydrogeology studies at the California Water Institute based at the university.

His work includes researching nuclear waste containment for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and analyzing and “fingerprinting” water sources in the Sierra foothills.

Suen has conducted studies for the Central Valley Water Quality Control Board and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation of the California Environmental Protection Agency. In 2008, he was appointed to an expert review panel of a national report card on the environment by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

He was a founding program coordinator of the University of California, Riverside-Fresno State joint Bachelor of Science degree program in environmental sciences.

“I have dedicated my whole life to training generations of young scientists by teaching and mentoring them, educating the public about protecting the earth’s environment and to advancing human knowledge about earth’s resources and sustainability,” Suen said. “This will further motivate me work toward my goal as a scientist and a scholar.”

He received a B.S. with honors from McGill University in Canada, a doctorate in science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Diego.

Prior to joining the Fresno State faculty, Suen taught at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and California State University, East Bay.

Related link: www.geosociety.org