Awards do more than honor individuals who excel at what they do – they define the presenter’s legacy, values and ideals of both its past as well as its current standing in the world.
That’s why AAPG award recipients represent more than a list of impressive names. They are the face of AAPG in the profession, the industry and the world.
Starring in this year’s award story is a celebrated sedimentologist whose trademark fedora gives him a genuine Indiana Jones swagger – and who has kept geoscientists around the world smarter AND safer for more than 50 years.
And he’s just one part of this year’s AAPG story.
Joining him are geologists and geoscientists who have spread science around the world and unlocked astonishing discoveries, both in the field and in the laboratory.
People with not only the dedication to get the job done but also the gift of doing it with excellence.
People who have a great story to tell – and people who know how to tell a great story.
These are the stars of AAPG’s big story for 2024 – the recipients of the Association’s honors and awards, approved by the Executive Committee and presented to recognize superior achievements to the profession, the science, the Association and the public.
(And the story will get even bigger when technical award recipients are announced at a later date.)
“Honors and awards, I believe, are not only a way of recognizing geoscience excellence and outstanding achievements, they’re also our way of publicly showing our appreciation to those who in the name of geology and geoscience have made a difference,” said AAPG President Claudia Hackbarth in announcing this year’s honorees.
“These amazing people have been identified as the year’s ‘Best of the Best,’ in a variety of categories,” she added, “but here’s one last thought. This recognition clearly is a special moment for the honorees, but it’s also a chance for all of us to celebrate our profession, who we are, and the proud fact that collectively we provide energy for the world.”
This year’s AAPG honorees are:
Sidney Powers Memorial Award
Presented in recognition of distinguished and outstanding contributions to, or achievements in, petroleum geology.
Kevin Bohacs, KMBohacs GEOconsulting, Houston – Praised by his peers and geoscientists around the world for his work and excellence in bringing stratigraphic framework to mudrocks.
As one colleague said, “Today, just like there are specialties of carbonates, sandstones and evaporites, there is a new specialty of mudrocks, and Kevin Bohacs laid the sequence stratigraphic foundation for that specialty.”
Bohacs also is widely recognized as a leader in developing modern concepts in the stratigraphy and sedimentology of lake systems, and is a past AAPG Distinguished Lecturer, frequent short course and field trip leader and the author of the first field safety manual written specifically for geologists.
Michel T. Halbouty Outstanding Leadership Award
Presented in recognition of outstanding and exceptional leadership in the petroleum geosciences.
Charles Sternbach, Star Creek Energy, Houston – A past president of AAPG and an Honorary Member, Sternbach is honored for his decades of dedicated work toward advancing the science, promoting technology and fostering the spirit of geoscience research.
Sternbach, among other accomplishments, has chaired national and regional conventions; led conferences and sessions that resulted in hundreds of published papers; and helped create, organize and lead significant conferences and sessions such as “Playmakers,” “Discovery Thinking” and “Super Basins.”
Honorary Member
Presented to those who have distinguished themselves by their service and devotion to AAPG as well as the science and profession.
- Timothy “Tim” Carr, West Virginia University (Emeritus Professor), Hansville, Wash.
- Satinder Chopra, SamiGeo Consulting Ltd., Calgary, Canada
- Stephan Graham, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
- Terrilyn Olson, Digital Rock Petrophysics, Golden, Colo.
- Robert N. Ryan, Chevron (retired), Houston
Norman H. Foster Explorer Award
Presented in recognition of distinguished and outstanding achievement in exploration.
Gregg Norman, NBX Energy, Wichita Falls, Texas – A celebrated veteran explorationist who has applied sequence stratigraphy across the Eastern Shelf in Texas for nearly three decades, including numerous field discoveries in the Tannehill Sandstone as well as finds in the Stockwether Formation, Fry Formation and numerous other sands packages.
Robert R. Berg Outstanding Research Award
Presented in recognition of a singular achievement in petroleum geoscience research.
Peter B. Flemings, Barrows Centennial Chair, Jackson School of Geosciences, Austin, Texas – honored for his contributions linking stratigraphic evolution with fluid flow in sedimentary basins to predict subsurface pressures, trap integrity, fluid venting and slope stability.
Michael “Mike” Grammer, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla. – An internationally renowned and much-celebrated professor/researcher; past AAPG honors include the Grover E. Murray, John W. Shelton Search & Discovery, and Robert H. Dott Sr. awards.
He is especially recognized as a carbonate geologist who focuses on applications to petroleum geosciences – his work on carbonate slope deposits led to numerous key insights and applications regarding carbonate slope reservoirs. He has authored hundreds of papers, reports and refereed abstracts dealing with petroleum-related topics.
Distinguished Service Award
Presented to members who have distinguished themselves in singular and beneficial long-term service to AAPG.
- Joel A. Alberts, Chalk Creek Production Co., Edmond, Okla.
- Abdel Fattah Bakhiet, consultant, Sugar Land, Texas
- Karl Bloor, Chevron, Houston
- Robin Diedrich, consultant, Denver
- Robert E. Fryklund, S&P Global Commodities, Houston
- William “Bill” Maloney, Balex Technologies, Houston
- Stephanie Nwoko, Canacol Energy, Houston
Grover E. Murray Memorial Distinguished Educator Award
This award annually recognizes and rewards superlative contributions to geological education.
Fowzia Abdullah, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait – A 35-plus-year educator who has been described as the “flag bearer of Earth science” for Kuwait University, and is credited with establishing the school’s petroleum geology program.
She founded the school’s AAPG student chapter in 2009, frequently supervising its Imperial Barrel Award team. She has been called “professionally inspiring” by students and colleagues alike.
Isaac Crumbly, Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, Ga. – A superstar in the world of geoscience education, Crumbly started and continues as director of the school’s much-praised Cooperative Development Energy Program, created to recruit and develop minority engineers and geoscientists to help build diversity in the STEM fields. He also is a professor and the school’s associate vice president.
Crumbly has been praised and honored as a mentor, professor and administrator, including AAPG’s Special Award in 1999 and, 10 years later, U.S. President Barack Obama’s Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.
Harrison Schmitt Award
This award annually recognizes individuals and organizations whose accomplishments fall beyond the parameters of other AAPG awards.
• ACGGP (Colombian Association of Energy Geologists and Geophysicists) – Recognized primarily for its Pedagogía Regional (Regional Pedagogy Program), which helps rural and urban communities better understand the earth’s processes.
Specifically, since its creation in 2017, the program has taken geoscience understanding and projects to more than 17,000 people throughout Colombia, supporting projects execution and providing geological knowledge associated with groundwater, environment, geohazards and energy.
Geosciences in the Media Award
Presented in recognition of notable journalistic achievement in any medium that contributes to the public’s understanding of geology, energy resources or the technology of oil and gas exploration.
- Juli Hennings, EarthDate, Bureau of Economic Geology, Austin, Texas – A former geologist for ConocoPhillips, Hennings now produces EarthDate, a weekly, two-minute public service radio program that presents educational and entertaining programs on earth sciences. It is heard on National Public Radio stations in all 50 states, Canada and several other countries.
- Dale Leckie, author, Calgary, Canada – An AAPG member who is an adjunct professor of geology at the University of Calgary, and formerly a geologist for the Geological Survey of Canada and chief geologist for Wascana Energy, Leckie now a best-selling author who writes mainly about western Canada.
- His works, popular with both professional geologists and the public, include “Rocks, Ridges and Rivers: Geological Wonders of Banff, Yoho and Jasper National Parks,” and “The Scenic Geology of Alberta: A Roadside Touring and Hiking Guide.”
Young Professionals Exemplary Service Award
Presented in award members who have promoted growth, awareness and expanded opportunities withing AAPG for young professionals.
Abdullah Al Kandari, Kuwait Oil Co., Ahmadi, Kuwait – Chair of the YP and Student Support teams for AAPG’s Kuwait and Middle East Region organizations, chair of the AAPG Geo-KWT Student Chapter Committee, coordinator of the Imperial Barrel Award activities for the Middle East Region.
Vlastimila (Vlasta) Dvorakova International Ambassador Service Award
Presented to those who have promoted growth and awareness of AAPG internationally – and who have created opportunities for AAPG to reach a wider audience.
- David R. Cook, retired (ExxonMobil), Houston – A past AAPG vice president-Regions; past president of AAPG’s Europe Region; and a giant in helping to create and guide the global reach of the Imperial Barrel Award.
- John Kaldi, Graywacke Geoscience, Glen Osmond, Australia – A renowned author and past AAPG vice president-Regions, Kaldi is the organizer-chair-creative force behind a plethora of AAPG international activities, including conferences, technical sessions, VGP visits and Distinguished Lecture initiatives.
- Victor Vega, Frontera Energy, Katy, Texas – A past president of the AAPG Latin America and Caribbean Region and a dynamic force in AAPG international conferences, having leadership roles for Geosciences Technology Workshops in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago, and serving as general vice chair for the ICE events in Cartagena, Colombia (2013), Cancun, Mexico (2016) and Buenos Aires, Argentina (2019).