Restrictions
The recipient of the Carlos Walter Campos Memorial is not required to be an AAPG Member.
Guidelines for Consideration of Candidates
Judging process is overseen by the AAPG Student Chapter Committee.
Procedure
The Committee’s decision is announced by the Student Chapter Committee Chair.
Description of Award
The Carlos Walter M. Campos Memorial Award for Best International Student Paper is $500 cash.
History
This award is named in honor of Carlos Walter Marinho Campos who was an outstanding contributor to petroleum geology of Brazil and for the continuous dedication in training geological professionals at Petrobras.
Carlos Walter Marinho Campos is one of the preeminent geologists from Brazil who was instrumental in training Petrobras geoscientists in petroleum geology. AAPG recognized his services to our industry with the Honorary Membership Award in 1992. Carlos Walter has continuously promoted participation of Brazilian geologists in international and domestic meetings and has been personally involved in training of geoscientists. He is credited with being personally responsible for encouraging 150 geologists to complete university-level degrees in Brazil and abroad. At the 1998 AAPG Rio meeting, Carlos Walter was given the Association of Brazil Petroleum Geologists Distinguished Geological Achievement Award.
Carlos Walter was born in Barbacena, Minas Gerais. In 1952 he graduated from Ouro Preto School of Mines in mining metallurgy and civil engineering (B.A.). He completed his graduate studies at the Colorado School of Mines (Master’s Degree of Science in 1958).
In 1958 he joined Petrobras and worked as head geologist in Reconcavo and Tucano basins in the former producing area of Bahia. In 1960 he transferred to Belem as assistant district geologist, district geologist and superintendent of the area of North Exploration. In 1967 he was transferred to Rio de Janeiro as assistant to the head superintendent of E&P department (Dexpro). He became director of exploration the same year, and general superintendent of Dexpro in 1977. During his tenure, the Garoupa field was discovered in Campos Basin (1974).
This was only the beginning of many important discoveries in Brazil – Pargo, Bagre, Badejo, Namorado, Cherne, Enchova, Bicudo, Bonito, Pampo and Corvina. The president of Brazil appointed Carlos Walter as Petrobras director in 1979 with responsibilities of managing the recently formed exploration and drilling department and the research center (Cenpes).
As director, he headed the innovative deep water exploration in the Campos basin, which resulted in giant petroleum discoveries like Albacora in 1984 and Marlim in 1985. Carlos Walter has an extensive list of internal Petrobras reports, covering the Medio Amazonas basins, Maranhao, Parana, Acre, South Tucaono and Reconcavo areas. Major contributions on economical issues for the estimation of the petroleum potential of the onshore Brazilian basins are also made by him.
Carlos Walter retired from Petrobras in 1985, and continued working with students at Brazil universities until his death in 1999. He was a member of the Brazilian Geological Society, Brazilian Association of Petroleum Geologists and the AAPG.
This award was established in June 2001 by the Executive Committee of the Association.