Awards, appointments and determining new ways to help support geoscience education dominated AAPG Foundation activities in January.
Leading the list was the announcement that James A. Hartman and Charles “Chuck” Weiner have been named recipients of the Foundation’s top honors, the L. Austin Weeks Memorial Medal and the Chairman’s Award, respectively (see related story, page 4).
But that wasn’t the only Foundation news.
Trustee Associates Service Awards
The AAPG Foundation Trustees have named Robert J. Ardell and Mike Wisda, both of Houston, as the 2014 Trustee Associates Service Award recipients.
The award is presented annually to those who have “distinguished themselves in beneficial long-term service to the AAPG Foundation.”
Awards will be presented at the 2014 Trustee Associates annual meeting in Austin, Texas, in September.
Halbouty Lecturer
Dr. Carlos Dengo has been selected by the AAPG Foundation Trustees to be the 2014 Michel T. Halbouty Lecturer, a special event presented annually at the AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition.
Dengo, director of the Berg-Hughes Center for Petroleum and Sedimentary Systems at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, will present “Transcending Geoscience Paradigms for Exploration Opportunity Growth,” Monday, April 7, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.
Dengo’s abstract can be found at
http://foundation.aapg.org/programs/halbouty_lecture.cfm.
Foundation Award Support
AAPG’s honors and awards program annually provides a means for recognizing outstanding achievements and contributions by professional geologists, especially in the area of exploration for petroleum and energy mineral resources, and by other professionals who further the goals and objectives of the geosciences.
The following awards, all of which will be presented at the ACE opening session in Houston, are funded by the AAPG Foundation:
- Grover E. Murray Distinguished Educator Award – to Joseph A. Cartwright, Gregor P. Eberli, Charles Kerans and Donald R. Lowe.
- Wallace E. Pratt Memorial Award – to Sonja Spasojevic and Michael Gurnis.
- Robert H. Dott Sr. Memorial Award – to John A. Breyer.
- John W. Shelton Search and Discovery Award – to Neil K. Basu, Gervasio J. Barzola, Hector Bello, Paul R. Clarke and Oswaldo E. Viloria.
- George C. Matson Award – to Stephen G. Holtkamp.
- Jules Braunstein Memorial Award – to Satinder Chopra and Ritesh Kumar Sharma.
- Gabriel Dengo Memorial Award – to Irene Arango.
- Ziad Beydoun Memorial Award – to Jaime Castillo, Victor Castro, Alfredo Ramirez, Carlos Mora, Paola Blanco and Claudia Ceballos.
- Geosciences in the Media Award – to Scott D. Sampson, and The Switch Energy Project (Scott Tinker and Harry Lynch).
Support for AGI’s Geoscience Center
The Foundation, continuing its mission to promote K-12 geoscience education through programs for science teachers, students and the general public, has awarded $50,000 to the American Geosciences Institute’s (AGI) new Center for Geoscience Education and Public Understanding, in Alexandria, Va.
The Center acts as a clearinghouse for information on exemplary earth science curricula and non-curricular resources; professional development programs for teachers; geoscience career information; educational ancillary materials; the status of earth science education at the state and national levels; and geoscience outreach programs to schools.
The Center also houses the Critical Issues Program, which will provide the most current scientific understanding on geoscience topics of interest to the general public and decision makers.
Support for Datapages’ Digital Efforts
The Foundation also supports projects that assist in capturing publications into online searchable archives.
In fulfilling that mission, the Foundation recently approved $50,000 to AAPG Datapages for its continuing efforts to digitize publications and data.
Local organizations can join the AAPG Datapages Archives program, spreading the latest science even farther.
This grant specifically will fund the digitization of data for the North Texas, South Texas, Alaska, Grand Junction, Asociación Mexicana de Geólogos Petroleros and Mississippi geological societies.
Shell: New Matching Gift Procedures
Shell Oil Co., through its Royal Dutch Shell’s “Heroes (Helping Employees Reach Out) Program,” matches employee contributions to the AAPG Foundation, from $25 to $5,500 at a one-to-one ratio.
Full-time employees, spouses, part-time employees and even retirees are eligible.
Donors can register their matching gift requests electronically at www.easymatch.com/shell/.