For their extraordinary effort, fielding literally hundreds of media queries in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, faculty at the Texas A&M Hazard Recovery and Reduction Center — Walt Peacock, Carla Prater and Michael Lindell — received Texas A&M University’s first ever “Newsmaker Award.”

The presentation was made by Steven B. Moore, vice president for communications at Texas A&M, during a special Oct. 4 University Club luncheon.

As a result of their efforts, the HRRC faculty’s expert opinions on issues related to the Gulf Coast disasters appeared in print and broadcast news coverage across the United States and around the word.

The Division of Marketing & Communications will present the award annually to one or more faculty or staff members who have been particularly supportive of the university’s media relations efforts by generously sharing their time and expertise with media representatives.

Faculty at the Texas A&M Hazard Recovery and Reduction Center — Walt Peacock, Carla Prater and Michael Lindell — received Texas A&M University’s first ever “Newsmaker Award.”