Award

The Walter Lynn Medal is given annually to an outstanding graduating senior majoring in Environmental Engineering of admirable character whose scholastic achievement is most distinguished over the four consecutive years of study at Cornell. 

The award consists of a gold medal and a certificate.  This award was established in 2011 in honor of Professor Walter Lynn, an active Cornell faculty member for fifty years, founder of the environmental and water resources systems engineering program at Cornell, and Director of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering from 1970-1978.  During his tenure at Cornell, he was the founding Director and head of the Cornell Center for Environmental Quality Management; Director for the Program on Science, Technology, and Society; Director of the Center for the Environment; and Dean of the Cornell Faculty. 

Professor Lynn was known nationally as a leader on environmental issues and was founding chair of the U.S. National Research Council's Board on Natural Disasters.