The Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC) has been tapped as one of a handful of institutions worldwide to receive this year’s Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water. DCDC will split the $133,000 (SR 500,000) award with one other institution.

The prizes, awarded biannually by the Prince Sultan Research Center for Environment, Water and Desert, part of King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, bolster scientific research that tackles problems such as water distribution, sustainability, preservation and provision, focusing particularly upon arid regions like the American Southwest.

Engaging with other countries and cultures to address issues of mutual importance supports Arizona State University President Michael Crow’s vision of global engagement and this award speaks to the global applicability of DCDC’s work. Joining with others to make a more sustainable world is central to the mission of DCDC and ASU’s Global Institute of Sustainability.

DCDC Co-director Patricia Gober will travel to Riyadh to accept the prize, which will be awarded as part of the Third International Conference on Water Resources and Arid Environments, to be held November 1619, 2008. The prize provides awards in five categories, ranging from general creativity and innovation to advancements in specialized branches, such as groundwater, surface water and alternative water resources and desalinization. DCDC’s award was in the category of Water Resources Management and Protection. More information on the prize program is available at http://www.psipw.org/.

DCDC is one of only five National Science Foundation-funded Decision Making Under Uncertainty Centers nationwide. The Center’s record of striving to improve decision making under climatic uncertainty, focusing on the interplay between water management decisions and climate change scenarios, was pivotal in their selection for the award, as was WaterSim, DCDC’s cutting-edge scientific simulation and policy tool. More information is available at the DCDC Web site, http://dcdc.asu.edu/.

Media Contact:

Nicholas Gerbis

Communications Manager

Decision Center for a Desert City

Arizona State University

480.727.9234 p

480.965.8383 f

ngerbis@asu.edu