This information originally appeared in the program information for the Virginia Water Science and Technology Symposium.

The Water Center established the William R. Walker Graduate Research Fellow Award in 1999 to honor the many contributions and accomplishments of Professor William R. Walker, who served as the first director of the Water Center from 1965 to 1992. The recipient of the 2006 William R. Walker Fellow Award is Ms. Rachel Lauer, doctoral candidate, Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech.

William (Bill) R. Walker, originally a civil engineer, earned a law degree in 1952. He joined the civil engineering department at Virginia Tech in 1964 after working for several years as both an engineer and attorney. During his academic career, he served on numerous state and national committees. His many awards and honors include the "Friend of UCOWR" from the Universities Council on Water Resources, the "Julian Hinds Award" from the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the "Service to the Profession Award" from the American Society of Professional Engineers. In 1982, Professor Walker and supporters worked with members of the Virginia General Assembly to have the Water Center authorized as a state-supported agency. The state authorization and consequent state funding leveraged federal resources that enabled the Water Center to facilitate funding of hundreds of research projects and student assistantships at Virginia's colleges and universities, publication of research reports, and development of an excellent information transfer program.