Following the DPA annual meeting, we will hold our annual awards dinner at Sir Winston’s on the Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor.
The DPA Executive Committee and councilors will convene at our annual business meeting at the Long Beach Hyatt Regency on Saturday, April 21. As well as conducting the annual business of the DPA, we will receive reports on the status of our key operating initiatives for the 2011-12 term that I have reviewed in previous EXPLORER columns:
- International presence and DPA councilor engagement.
- Membership.
- Gathering and learning.
Following the DPA annual meeting, we will hold our annual awards dinner at Sir Winston’s on the Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor. This year’s dinner will recognize seven DPA members for their significant contributions to the Division.
♦ This year’s recipient of the DPA Life Membership award is Rick Ericksen from Jackson, Miss. Life Membership is the highest and most prestigious award given by the DPA.
Rick joins the elite company of 21 fellow recipients of DPA Life Membership and is well deserving of our highest honor for his continuous service and leadership to the DPA.
♦ The DPA’s Heritage Award has been awarded five times in the past and this year’s recipient is Dan Tearpock of Houston.
The Heritage Award is awarded to an individual who is generally well known for their substantial contributions to the industry. These contributions can be significant discoveries, business accomplishments and/or their work in academia and publishing. Ideally, the awardee will be an individual who has built a reputation for success within the industry, and has taken a proactive role in passing their knowledge and experiences to the next generation.
When thinking about the criteria for this award, I can’t think of a more deserving candidate than Dan through his business and leadership with the DPA.
♦ We have two recipients of our Distinguished Service Award: Paul Britt of Houston and Craig Reynolds of Wichita Falls, Texas.
♦ Certificates of Merit will be awarded to John Brooks of Brookwood, United Kingdom; Dave Entzminger of Midland, Texas; and Deborah Sacrey of Houston.
Also in Long Beach, the DPA will be sponsoring the Discovery Thinking Forum on the afternoon of Monday April 23. These talks enable AAPG members to see and hear about discoveries from those who know them well.
In addition to learning about personal and professional challenges surmounted by the discoverers on the path to success, the format has evolved to include technical data about trends and discoveries.
This session will focus on “Exciting New Discoveries in Old Areas.” This will be the fifth presentation of the AAPG 100th Anniversary Committee’s program recognizing “100 who made a difference.” Talks from Pacific, Rocky Mountain and West Texas will be of particular interest for a meeting on the West Coast.
Our annual luncheon will be held Tuesday, April 24, in conjunction with PROWESS, and will feature two informative presentations by two respected members of the academic community – Sally Benson (Stanford University, California) and Sharon Mosher (University of Texas, Austin).
Benson, director of the Global Climate Energy Project at Stanford University, will speak on “Following your Convictions: Even When the Going Gets Tough.”
Mosher, dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin, will speak on “Building a Diverse and Sustainable Geoscience Work Force.”
Benson is a groundwater hydrologist and reservoir engineer who has conducted research to address a range of issues related to energy and the environment. She currently serves on the board of directors of the National Renewal Energy Laboratory and Climate Central.
Mosher is the founder and past chair of GeoScience World, an international journal aggregation for geoscientists. She is currently president-elect of the American Geological Institute.
Elections for open DPA Executive Committee positions are under way. Nominees are:
President Elect
- Mike Canich – Eastern Section.
- Valary Schulz – Southwest Section.
Vice President
- Chandler Wilhelm – Gulf Coast Section.
- Paul Pausé – Southwest Section.
Treasurer
- Debra Osborne – Southwest Section.
- Bill Haskett – Canada Section.
DPA Councilor elections have been completed and new councilors elected for the 2012-2015 term are:
- Eastern Section – Patrick M. Imbrogno; Jay G. Henthorne and Hannes E. Leetaru, alternates.
- Rocky Mountain Section – Donna S. Anderson and Robert F. Garvin; Clifford C. Clark, Peggy Williams, David A. Wavrek and Jeff Brame, alternates.
- Pacific Section – John T. Williams; Kurt E. Neher, alternate.
- Asia-Pacific Region – Robert C. Shoup; Abul “Shams” Shamsuddin, alternate
- p Canada Region – William J. Haskett; Sanjeev S. Thakur, alternate.
- Europe Region – John R.V. Brooks; Iain P. Wright, alternate.
- Latin America Region – Flavio J. Feijo; Hector San Martin, alternate.
DPA will be sponsoring the Discovery Thinking Forum, a luncheon and awards presentation at this year’s ACE.