Congratulations to Leslie Magoon, Mahmoud Abdul-Baqi, John Parker, Mark Kirschbaum and the many other AAPG award winners this year. They will be recognized at the 2021 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition May 23-26 in Denver, Colo.
AAPG Honorary Member Leslie Magoon is the recipient of the Association’s highest honor, the AAPG Sidney Powers Memorial Award.
Magoon is a retired professor in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Stanford University. He worked eight years for Shell Oil Company in exploration and 30 years with the U.S. Geological Survey and is presently an emeritus scientist with the USGS. Since 1981, he has made a name for himself for his investigation and popularization of the petroleum system through talks, courses and AAPG Memoir 60: “The Petroleum System: From Source to Trap,” for which he received the Robert H. Dott. Sr. Award in 1996.
AAPG Honorary Member Mahmoud Abdul-Baqi joins him at the top of the awardees list as this year’s Michel T. Halbouty Outstanding Leadership Award recipient.
Abdul-Baqi was chairman of the Arabian Geophysical and Surveying Company, or ARGAS, having retired as vice president of exploration and production for Saudi Aramco. He is also one of the founders of the Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition, or “GEO,” as it is better known, held in Bahrain.
Peter Grant of International Energy Solutions of Claremont, Australia is the recipient of the Vlastimila “Vlasta” Dvořáková International Ambassador Service Award. This award is given to those who have promoted growth and awareness of the AAPG organization internationally, outside the United States, and created opportunities for the Association to reach a wider audience of geoscientists worldwide. Tari is being honored for exception role in being the main driver of catalysts for many international events in the Europe Region.
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.
Biographies and citations of all award winners will be included in a future AAPG BULLETIN.
The rest of this year’s AAPG awardees are:
Honorary Member Award
Presented to Members who have distinguished themselves by their accomplishments and through their service to the profession of petroleum geology and to AAPG.
- Misfir AzZahrani of Saudi Aramco
- Hernani A.F. Chaves of DEPA-UERJ
- Andre Coajou of STYX Energy in Boulogne-Billancourt, France
- Thomas “Tom” Ewing of Frontera Exploration in San Antonio, Texas
- Lee Krystinik of Equus Energy Partners in Skiatook, Okla.
- Fiona MacAulay of Independent Oil & Gas plc in Great Braxted, UK
- Randi Martinsen of HIS in Frisco, Colo.
- Daniel “Dan” Schwartz of Daniel E. Schwartz LLC in Bakersfield, Calif.
Norman H. Foster 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.
- John Parker of Talos Energy in Houston
Robert R. Berg Outstanding Research Award
Presented to honor a singular achievement in petroleum geoscience research.
- Marie-Francoise Brunet and Eric Barrier of Sorbonne Université in Paris, France
- Alexei Milkov of the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo.
Distinguished Service Award
Presented to those who have distinguished themselves in singular and beneficial long-term service to AAPG.
This year there are 12 recipients of the honor:
- Samuel O. Akande of the University of Ilorin in Nigeria
- Maren Blair from Calgary, Canada
- Marsha Findlay Bourque of Marsha Bourque and Associates in Houston
- C.Elmo Brown, retired, of Kerrville, Texas
- Helen Cromie of Total in Copenhagen, Denmark
- William “Bill” DeMis of Rochelle Court LLC in Houston
- Scott Durocher of Apache in Calgary, Canada
- Ana Maria Goncalves of YPFB Chaco S.A. in Santa Cruz, Bolivia
- Stuart Harker of Morningside Petroleum Geology Consultancy in Edinburgh, Scotland
- Michael Vanden Berg of the Utah Geological Survey in Salt Lake City
- Stanley Wharton of Subsurface Imaging in Trinidad and Tobago
Grover E. Murray Distinguished Educator Award
Presented for distinguished and outstanding contributions to geological education, both at the university level and toward education of the general public.
- Xavier Moonan of Touchstone Exploration/University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago
- Brian Williams of Angus, Scotland
Harrison Schmitt Award
Presented to recognize individuals or organizations that, for a variety of reasons, do not qualify for other Association honors or awards.
- Mark Kirschbaum of the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver
Public Service Award
Presented to recognize contributions of AAPG Members to public affairs – and intended to encourage such activities.
- Hilary Olson, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
- Sandra W. Rushworth of the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences in Katy, Texas
- Stephen Testa of TEC in Mokelumne Hill, Calif.
Pioneer Award
Presented to long-standing Members who have contributed to the Association and who have made meaningful contributions to the science of geology.
- Cindy Yeilding of BP America Inc. in Houston
Geosciences in the Media 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.
- Christopher Jackson of Imperial College in London, UK
- Michael Wysession of Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.
Young Professional Exemplary Service Award
Presented to Members who have promoted growth, awareness and expanded opportunities within the organization for Young Professionals.
- Lizbeth Calizaya Sunchulli of Ecopetrol Brasil in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Anna Phelps of SM Energy in Denver