Research geologist Robert M. Mitchum, who has been credited as a pioneer in developing the disciplines of sequence and seismic stratigraphy, will be honored at the Houston AAPG Convention along with 36 others.
Mitchum, an AAPG Honorary member with Robert M. Mitchum Exploration in Houston, will receive the 2006 Sidney Powers Memorial Award, AAPG's highest honor.
The awards ceremony is part of the convention's opening session, which will begin at 3:45 p.m. April 9, at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
The session will include a pre-show multi-media look at the history of the oil industry; welcoming remarks from General Chairman Charles Sternbach; the presidential address from Peter R. Rose; and recognition of this year's awardees.
Also, joining the ceremony will be Peter Tertzakian, a Calgary, Canada, geophysicist and author of the recently published book A Thousand Barrels a Second: The Coming Oil Break Point and the Challenges Facing An Energy Dependent World.
One person will be receiving two awards during the ceremony -- Terry Hollrah, Oklahoma City independent geologist, who will receive both Honorary Membership from AAPG and a Distinguished Member Award from the House of Delegates.
AAPG awards, approved by the Executive Committee, are presented annually to recognize individuals for service to the profession, the science, the Association and the public.
Also being recognized during the opening ceremony will be four people (including Hollrah) who are receiving honors from the AAPG House of Delegates.
Full biographies and citations of all award winners will be included in a future BULLETIN.
Photos of award winners can be seen in the image gallery.
Those award winners who will be honored with Mitchum in Houston are:
Honorary Membership Award
Presented to members who have distinguished themselves by their accomplishments and through their service to the profession of petroleum geology and to AAPG. This year's honorees are:
- Richard S. Bishop, consultant, Houston
- Terry L. Hollrah, Hollrah Exploration, Oklahoma City
- John Rold, consultant, Lakewood, Colo
- Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, consultant, Albuquerque, N.M.
Outstanding Explorer Award
Presented to members in recognition of distinguished and outstanding achievement in exploration for petroleum or mineral resources, with an intended emphasis on recent discovery.
- Richard L. "Dick" Findley Prospector Oil, Billings, Mont.
Distinguished Service Award
Presented to those who have distinguished themselves in singular and beneficial long-term service to AAPG. This year's honorees are:
- Martin D. Hewitt, EnCana Oil and Gas, Calgary, Canada
- Neil F. Hurley, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colo.
- John Kaldi, Australian School of Petroleum, Adelaide, Australia
- Larry C. Knauer, Chevron, Bakersfield, Calif.
- Jeffrey W. Lund, Access Exploration, Houston
Grover E. Murray Memorial Distinguished Educator Award
Presented for distinguished and outstanding contributions to geological education, both at the university level and toward education of the general public. This year's honorees are:
- G. Randy Keller Jr., Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas-El Paso, El Paso, Texas
- Brian E. Lock, Geology Department, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, La.
- Roger M. Slatt, School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Okla.
- John E. Warme, Department of Geology, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colo.
Special Award
Presented to individuals and organizations whose area of work may not qualify for one of the existing awards, but is worthy of Association recognition. This year's honorees are:
- Jordi "Jorge" Ferrer Modolell, retired, who was the general chair of the 2003 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition in Barcelona, Spain
- Roy Helge Gabrielsen, executive director-Division for Science, Research Council for Norway, Oslo, Norway
Public Service Award
Presented to recognize contributions of AAPG members to public affairs -- and is intended to encourage such activities.
- Edward C. Roy Jr. Trinity University, San Antonio
Pioneer Award
Presented to long-standing members who have contributed to the Association and who have made meaningful contributions to the science of geology.
- Frank Royse retired, Oro Valley, Ariz.
Wallace E. Pratt Memorial Award
Presented to honor and reward the author(s) of the best AAPG BULLETIN article published each calendar year. This year's honorees are:
- Keith W. Shanley, Robert M. Cluff and John W. Robinson, for "Factors Controlling Prolific Gas Production From Low-Permeability Sandstone Reservoirs: Implications for Resource Assessment, Prospect Development and Risk Analysis," which appeared in the August 2004 BULLETIN.
Robert H. Dott Sr. Memorial Award
Presented to honor and reward the author/editor of the best special publication dealing with geology published by the Association. This year's honorees are:
- G. Michael Grammer, Paul M. "Mitch" Harris and Gregor P. Eberli, for AAPG Memoir 80, Integration of Outcrop and Modern Analogs in Reservoir Modeling.
George C. Matson Award
Presented to honor and reward the best oral presentation at the AAPG Annual Convention in Calgary.
- Michael R. Hudec (co-authors were Martin Jackson and Daniel D. Schultz-Ela) for "A Compressional Origin for Minibasins Near the Sigsbee Escarpment, Gulf of Mexico." Hudec and Jackson are with the Bureau of Economic Geology, the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas and Schultz-Ela is a consultant in Hotchkiss, Colo.
Jules Braunstein Memorial Award
Presented to honor and reward the best poster presentation at the AAPG Annual Convention in Calgary. This year's honorees are:
- Hege M. Nørdgård Bolas, Christian Hermanrun and Gunn M.G. Teige, with Statoil (USA), Trondheim, Norway, for the poster "Seals and Overpressure in Mud-Dominated Systems."
Journalism Award
Presented for notable journalistic achievement, in any medium, which contributes to public understanding of geology, energy resources or the technology of oil and gas exploration.
- Michael Crichton, an international author, for his recent science-based thriller State of Fear and Jurassic Park.
Gabriel Dengo Memorial Award
To honor and reward the best paper from the AAPG International Conference and Exhibition in Paris, France.
- Marek Kacewicz, exploration and exploitation technology, Unocal Corp., Sugar Land, Texas, for "Toward a Common Earth Model: Combining Seismic Inversion with Basin Modeling."
Ziad Beydoun Memorial Award
To honor and reward the best poster at the AAPG international meeting in Paris, France.
- Denis Marchal and Misael Alvear, both with Petrobras, Caracas, Venezuela, and Jean-Marc Daniel, with the Institut Francais du Pétrol, Rueil Malmaison, France, for "4-D Analog Modeling of Transpressional Structures Growing in a Rheologically Heterogeneous Medium: Methodology, Main Results and Reference Models."
House of Delegates Honorary Membership Award
The House's highest honor, presented in recognition of consistent, dedicated and exemplary service to the HoD.
- Valary Schulz, Matador Resources, Dallas.
House of Delegates Distinguished Member Award
- Sandi Barber, SAIC, Houston
- Peter Gray, independent, Lafayette, La.
- Terry Hollrah, Hollrah Exploration, Oklahoma City