Dr. William C. Haneberg will become Kentucky's 13th State Geologist
on September 1, 2016. An engineering geologist with a wide range of
research, academic and applied experience, he will also serve as the
director of the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS), leading KGS into the
future of its mission to investigate Kentucky's energy, mineral and
water resources, and geologic hazards. Haneberg will hold a parallel
appointment as a research professor in the University of Kentucky
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Haneberg, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, has more than 25 years of
experience as a university geology teacher, researcher and
administrator in the office of the state geologist in New Mexico, and
consultant. Since October 2011, he has worked in Houston for an
American subsidiary of the Dutch geoscience and engineering firm Fugro
N.V., where he is a senior consultant and quantitative geohazards group
leader.
“I'm honored and excited to take on the challenge of leading an
organization with such a distinguished history of service to the
Commonwealth, and look forward to exploring new ways to partner with
government agencies, universities, public interest groups and industry
as we all work to continue making Kentucky a great place to live and
work,” said Haneberg.
Haneberg earned a doctorate in geology from the University
of Cincinnati in 1989. His expertise includes geologic hazard and risk
assessment, geomechanics, structural geology, hydrogeology and the use
of geologic information to support planning and policy
decision-making. He is author or co-author of more than 160 technical
abstracts and papers on topics ranging from deep-sea landslides to
Himalayan glaciation. Haneberg received the 2006 Claire P. Holdredge
Award from the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists
for his 2004 book, “Computational Geosciences with Mathematica.” He was
the 2011 Richard H. Jahns Distinguished Lecturer in Engineering
Geology and is an elected Fellow of the Geological Society of America.
Haneberg fills a position vacated by former State
Geologist and KGS Director Jim Cobb, who retired in July 2014, after
serving in that capacity for 14 years. Cobb had been with KGS since
1980, when he joined the Coal Section to focus on Kentucky's coal
resources at a time when its importance was growing.
As a research institute of UK, KGS works to increase the
understanding of the state's geology and disseminate its research
results to the citizens, communities, state agencies, businesses, and
industries of Kentucky. The 178-year-old state survey employs 45 staff
in sections focusing on energy and minerals, water resources, geologic
hazards, mapping and geoscience information. Its main office is located
on the UK campus, with a well sample and core library in Lexington and a
satellite office at Henderson, in Western Kentucky.
“We are excited about the future of KGS under the capable
leadership of Dr. Haneberg. His experience and research capabilities
will serve this important state-wide Center and their mission well as
they move forward as an invaluable asset of the UK Research Enterprise”
said Lisa Cassis, Vice President for Research.
[from the UK announcement]
This year's John C. Frye Memorial Award for Environmental Geology, co-sponsored by GSA and AASG, is going to authors at the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, for the publication, 
