Ethnicity Iraqi Name Mahdi Hantush Awards O.E. Meinzer Award | Spouse(s) Iqbal Hantush Known for Well hydraulics Died 1984 | |
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Born 1921 Iraq Alma mater UC Berkeley
University of Utah Education University of California, Berkeley, University of Utah | ||
Mahdi S. Hantush (1921–1984) was a prominent Hydrologist known for his analytical work on leaky aquifers and well hydraulics. He is the founder of the New Mexico Tech Hydrology Program.
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Academic
Mahdi Hantush earned his first degree as a civil engineer from American University In Beirut, Lebanon . He then moved to the United States where he obtained an MSc. in Irrigation Engineering at UC Berkeley in 1947. He followed this up with a doctorate in civil engineering at the University of Utah under C.E. Jacob. In 1954 Hantush received a call to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology where he developed one of the first graduate programs in Groundwater Hydrology. He headed the New Mexico Tech Hydrology Program for over a decade during which time it attracted students from all over the world.
Professional
As a civil engineer Hantush began his professional career as an irrigation engineer in Iraq. This work provided him with practical experience and an appreciation for the problems involved in the development and management of water resources.