Restrictions
The recipient of the Jules Braunstein Memorial Award is not required to be an AAPG Member. Selection of the winning poster session paper is made only from those poster sessions sponsored by AAPG.
Guidelines for Consideration of Candidates
Judging is conducted by a Braunstein Award Committee to be appointed by the General Chairman of the convention and the Chairman of the Braunstein Award Committee. In the event of a tie in the total score, the paper scoring highest in “Originality: New concepts or new interpretations?” is declared the winner. In the event of a secondary tie at that level, the paper scoring highest on “Significance and usefulness” is declared the winner.
Procedure
The Committee’s decision is conveyed by the Chairman to the Convention General Chairman as soon as possible following the convention. The General Chairman then informs the President of the Association who notifies the winner.
Description of Award
The Jules Braunstein Memorial Award is $500.00 cash and a walnut plaque bearing the name of the winner and the title of the paper. Co-authors share the cash award equally, each receiving identical plaques.
History
This award is named in honor of Jules Braunstein whose contributions as an industry geologist, professor of geology, and an indefatigable worker for local, regional, and national geological organizations were outstanding. This award for the best poster session is especially appropriate in honor of Mr. Braunstein, since it was he who in 1975 recommended and arranged for the first poster sessions to be presented at the 1976 Annual Convention of the Association in New Orleans.
Mr. Braunstein proposed that the Association immediately establish a best paper award, but concern over the long-range success of poster sessions as a strong and viable part of the annual meetings led the Association to determine that a less formalized award called the General Chairman’s Award be given and paid for out of convention funds until such time as poster sessions became established. Poster sessions were an immediate success, and now more poster session papers are given than are given orally in the more conventional manner.
Following Mr. Braunstein’s death in 1983, many of his friends, especially in the Gulf Coast area, suggested that the Association formalize the poster session paper award and name it in his honor. This award was established in 1984 by the Executive Committee of the Association and the Trustees of the AAPG Foundation.
Funding
Funding for the award is provided through the AAPG Foundation Awards Fund through a generous contribution from the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies as a lasting memorial to Jules Braunstein.