Leonard “Lenny” Konikow, Ph.D., has been named the next editor-in-chief of NGWA’s flagship research publication Groundwater®.
A renowned hydrogeologist, Konikow worked for the U.S. Geological Survey for more than 40 years, serving as the project chief of its Water Resources Division’s National Research Program from 1980-2013.
“I feel this is an enormously important job — one that affects the careers of a multitude of scientists, engineers, and students of groundwater hydrology and hydrogeology,” Konikow said. “I am up for the challenge and will strive to continue the efforts of previous editors to keep this the leading and must-read journal in groundwater.”
Konikow continues his research at USGS as an emeritus scientist. He studies groundwater depletion and developed one of the first widely used generic solute transport models for groundwater. His research has a long history of publication in Groundwater.
As a long-time member of NGWA, Konikow has served as a director on the Scientists and Engineers Section Board of Directors. He was the recipient of NGWA’s M. King Hubbert Award for major scientific contributions to the understanding of groundwater in 1989 and NGWA’s Life Member Award in 2013.
In 2011, Konikow was elected Fellow to the American Geophysical Union; in 2001, he received the President’s Award from the International Association of Hydrogeologists; and he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2015.
Konikow has previously served as associate editor and advisor to the editor for Groundwater. He will begin his first three-year term as editor-in-chief on January 1, 2020.
“Lenny Konikow is an esteemed groundwater scientist and I am thrilled he has accepted the position as the next editor-in-chief of Groundwater,” said NGWA Director of Publications Thad Plumley. “Groundwater is the top publication in the world focusing exclusively on groundwater and I am excited to see where it goes under Lenny’s guidance.”
Konikow recently took part in a Q&A with NGWA as part of the announcement.
NGWA: Accepting the role of editor-in-chief for Groundwater is a big undertaking. Can you tell us about your thought process in accepting the position?
Konikow: I was honored and a bit overwhelmed by the discussions leading up to being offered this position. I feel this is an enormously important job — one that affects the careers of a multitude of scientists, engineers, and students of groundwater hydrology and hydrogeology. It is a great responsibility. However, I also feel that this will give me an opportunity to provide a valuable service to the groundwater industry.
I (recently) looked at the record of who had this position previously, and realized that these were some of the best, most respected, and leading scientists in the field. I will clearly be in good company, though I will have to work hard to match the excellence that precedes me. I am up for the challenge and will strive to continue the efforts of previous editors to keep this the leading and must-read journal in groundwater.
NGWA: You have previous experience working with Groundwater as an associate editor (1993-1995) and advisor to the editor (1997-1999); can you tell us what you learned and took away from those experiences?
Konikow: I learned that giving a fair and comprehensive review of a manuscript is an important task that takes some effort, open-mindedness, and concentration, but also provides a valuable service to the author and to the readership. I personally benefitted from providing such reviews because I always learned something new and broadened my own horizons as a result of providing the review.
I also recognized the importance of good writing and communication skills, and thereby strived to make my own manuscripts as clearly written as possible — carefully checking for spelling and grammatical errors and clarity of writing and illustrations and getting colleague reviews prior to submitting a manuscript to a journal. If reviewers don’t understand the text, they won’t get your message, and are less likely to recommend publication of the paper.
NGWA: After more than 40 years working with the USGS and leading various research projects, can you tell us what part Groundwater and NGWA played in your research?
Konikow: Groundwater is one of the most important journals for publishing my research results, and I have published a number of articles in Groundwater over the years. When I wanted my results to reach a broad and large audience of groundwater practitioners, academics, and researchers, it was the place to go.
I’ve always felt indebted to NGWA because my career with the USGS got started through my attendance at an NGWA (then NWWA) specialty conference in 1970 on the new field of digital computer modeling — a conference where networking opportunities led to my meeting Dr. John Bredehoeft, a keynote speaker at the conference (and future Groundwater editor-in-chief), who after a time, offered me a summer student position with him at the USGS. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance, and was forever grateful for that fortuitous opportunity.
NGWA: What trends in hydrology and groundwater research do you possibly see coming in your term as editor-in-chief? Are you wanting to increase focus to any specific area of study?
Konikow: I’ve published several papers over the years that demonstrate that the predictive accuracy of well-calibrated groundwater models is typically weak. So, I’m not inclined to predict the future (especially in writing).
Given that stipulation, I am willing to say that I see continued strength in university programs in groundwater and hydrogeology, continued graduation of young groundwater scientists and engineers with much improved skill sets, and continued difficulty in obtaining funding for research projects (at least in the near-term).
However, it also seems likely that depletion of groundwater reserves will continue in many heavily used aquifers, which may drive more scientific and management efforts towards improving the sustainability of this important resource.