Richard R. Parizek received a B.A. in geology from the University of Connecticut, and an M.S. and a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Illinois. He has been involved in educational aspects of groundwater science for more than 43 years. Since 1961, he has taught hydrogeology, geomorphology, glacial geology, and environmental geology courses at Pennsylvania State University, as well as conducting various workshops and short courses in hydrogeology and remote sensing.
Parizek formerly conducted research at the Ground Water Geology and Geophysical Exploration Section of the Illinois State Geological Survey and the Saskatchewan Research Council, Saskatchewan, Canada. He is a codeveloper with L.A. Lattman of the fracture trace method of groundwater exploration.
Parizek has authored and presented numerous papers on the application of remote sensing and fracture trace techniques for the solution of various hydrogeological, geotechnical, and environmental problems including water well location, lineament mapping, contaminant migration, monitoring and cleanup, flow in karst terrains, and the siting of radioactive waste repositories.
In addition to receiving the M. King-Hubbard Science Award for 1993, the Hydrogeology Division Distinguished Service Award from the Geological Society of America, the 2001 C.V. Theis Award, American Institute of Hydrology, and other awards, he has served for more than eight years on the Nuclear Waste Review Board, which is charged with the review and analysis of the U.S. DOE Yucca Mountain Project.