Annual Report 2011: FY July 1, 2010-June 30, 2011
Gulf Coast Section
Annual Convention
The 2010 GCAGS Annual Convention was hosted by the South Texas Geological Society in San Antonio in October. The meeting offered an outstanding technical program that included sessions on timely topics such as shale plays and Cretaceous carbonates, as well as a special symposium on the forming and filling of the Gulf of Mexico Basin. Approximately 100 oral and poster presentations were given, and the papers were published in the 853-page Transactions volume 60. An exhibition, short courses, field trips, student and teacher training programs, luncheons, and networking events rounded out a highly successful meeting that drew a total of 1,301 enthusiastic participants.
Preparations are well underway for the 2011 Annual Convention, which will be hosted by the Asociación Mexicana de Geólogos Petroleros in Veracruz, Mexico, on October 16-19. The technical program consists of 153 oral and poster presentations spread out over 12 oral sessions and their poster counterparts, as well as a symposium entitled “Jurassic Regional Framework and Reservoirs of the Gulf of Mexico.” The convention will include six short courses and three field trips. The GCAGS continues to take steps toward making the Transactions a peer-reviewed publication.
Student and Faculty Support
The GCAGS Student Grant Committee received a total of 19 research proposals from 13 schools for the 2011 Program. Various levels of funding were approved for 16 proposals, to make a total of $22,500 in grants awarded.
The GCAGS Faculty Grant Committee received a total of five research proposals from five Gulf Coast schools for the 2011 grant program, the two top-rated of which receive $10,000 and $5,000 awards, respectively.
The GCAGS held the section’s 2011 Imperial Barrel Award (IBA) competition on Friday, March 25 at the Schlumberger SIS facility in Houston. Ten teams took part in the competition. The University of Texas at Austin placed first, Louisiana State University was second, and the University of Louisiana Lafayette was third. The University of Texas at Austin went on to represent the Gulf Coast Section in the global competition at the AAPG Convention in Houston, where they took the ultimate first place prize! The University of Texas honored its IBA team by lighting the UT Tower orange on Thursday, April 28. The UT Austin championship team includes Chris Zahm (faculty advisor), Michael Fairbanks, Ashley Bens, Ben Siks, Erin Miller, and Justin Fitch.
AAPG Student Chapter Support: The GCAGS will continue to provide $1,000 in support for student travel to the Student Chapter Leadership Summit each summer.
Honors and Awards
Owen R. Hopkins, a dedicated petroleum geologist and past president of the Corpus Christi Geological Society, passed away on March 29, 2011. He will be greatly missed by the geological community. Owen was instrumental in starting the Maps in Schools, Bones in Schools, and Boulders in Schools programs. To honor Owen’s enthusiasm to teach others, the Board decided to rename the GCAGS Outstanding Science Teacher Award to become the Owen R. Hopkins Outstanding Earth Science Teacher Award.
Financial Status
Successful past annual conventions and secondary income from publication sales and investments, have contributed to a sound financial status of the Gulf Coast Section, which allows the continuation of the support to existing programs to students, faculties, schools and affiliated societies.