Apply Now for 2010 Grants

Online applications are now being accepted for the 2010 AAPG Foundation Grants-in-Aid Program, which was created to foster research in the geosciences.

The Grants-in-Aid Committee will select the “most deserving geosciences applicants” and award $203,000 in grants, ranging individually from $500 up to a maximum of $3,000.

Grants are intended to provide financial assistance to graduate students (currently enrolled in master’s or Ph.D. programs) whose thesis research has application to the search for and development of petroleum and energy-mineral resources, and/or to related environmental geology issues.

Grants are based on merit and, in part, on financial need.

Factors weighed in selecting successful applicants include:

• The qualifications of an applicant as indicated by past performance.
• Originality and imagination of the proposed project.
• Support of the department in which the work is being done.
• Perceived significance of the project to petroleum, energy minerals and related environmental geology.

The application process is open until Jan. 31, but students can apply now at aapg.gia.confex.com/aapg_gia/2010/index.html; or contact Angela Taylor for additional information.

In other Foundation news:

• The 32nd annual Foundation Trustee Associates meeting will be held Oct. 7-11, at Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
• Meeting highlights will include a geological field trip of the area, the election of new officers, a presentation by Robert Esser on the U.S. natural gas market and a report by the Foundation’s investment manager.
• Chesapeake Energy Corp. has pledged $250,000 over the next five years toward the AAPG PetroGrant Program.
• This new initiative provides a unique opportunity to expand the geosciences work force over time, develop viable new geosciences research and improve the relationships among industry, academia and government.