Professor Yang Xiaoping, was given Farouk El-Baz Award for Desert Research this year, who is the first Chinese winner, in recognition of his research on dryland environment and its evolution, aeolian landforms and sand disaster prevention, the ancient climate and water resources in arid regions, the evolution of the oasis, and the climate change in arid areas since the late Pleistocene.

The research award is intended to encourage young scientists to strive for excellence in desert research, established in 1999, which is named with Farouk El-Baz, the U.S. expert on desert research. The award is administered by Quaternary geology and geomorphology division, Geological Society of America annually,