Highlights at IMAGE ’24
We with the AAPG Foundation had a fantastic experience at the recent IMAGE 2024, held in late August in Houston. We were able to:
- Meet and thank many of our friends and supporters for the ongoing generosity
- Update and promote our many Foundation-supported programs – often to new audiences
- Perhaps best of all, received a lot of great ideas on how to make the Foundation even more effective in supporting the geosciences
Just a partial list of the programs we were able to spotlight included our Grants-in-Aid; the L. Austin Weeks Undergraduate Grants; our education outreach efforts such as the Teacher of the Year, Inspirational Geoscience Educator, Military Veterans Scholarship Program and K-12 initiatives; and the Distinguished Lecture Program, to name only a few.
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We with the AAPG Foundation had a fantastic experience at the recent IMAGE 2024, held in late August in Houston. We were able to:
- Meet and thank many of our friends and supporters for the ongoing generosity
- Update and promote our many Foundation-supported programs – often to new audiences
- Perhaps best of all, received a lot of great ideas on how to make the Foundation even more effective in supporting the geosciences
Just a partial list of the programs we were able to spotlight included our Grants-in-Aid; the L. Austin Weeks Undergraduate Grants; our education outreach efforts such as the Teacher of the Year, Inspirational Geoscience Educator, Military Veterans Scholarship Program and K-12 initiatives; and the Distinguished Lecture Program, to name only a few.
We also were able to spotlight our public outreach initiatives, including the Geoscientists without Borders and the “Energy Starts With Me” program.
Another big highlight was the Foundation Forum – a lively and very informative event that gave people a chance to ask questions, offer suggestions and discuss the role of the Foundation.
Joining me at the helm for the 90-minute session were fellow Trustee Scott Cameron, TA Chair Dexter Harmon and Foundation Executive Director David Curtiss.
Foundation leadership and staff were furiously taking notes on all the great things we discussed – so many great ideas were shared – but forum suggestions and highlights included:
- We should cultivate a bigger Foundation presence in the education community.
- We should actively encourage more proposals.
- Let’s actively encourage TAs to become Foundation ambassadors to their alma maters and local schools.
- We should expand marketing efforts of the Foundation’s Deana and Paul Strunk Military Veterans Scholarship Program.
- We should continue to support – and promote – the popular Geoscientists without Border program. (It’s good for geosciences AND the public.)
- We should aggressively market the Foundation, including having a more robust Foundation presence on social media platforms.
- Should we provide funds for graduate students to publish their theses and dissertations in the AAPG Bulletin?
- We should have an “official traveling road show” for the Foundation.
We had great questions, great suggestions, and a great time focusing on the Foundation. A big thanks to those who participated!
Another highlight was honoring this year’s Foundation award recipients during the annual reception, hosted by yours truly and TA chair Dexter Harmon. Those honorees were:
- Mike Forrest, a world-renowned superstar geophysicist, received the L. Austin Weeks Memorial Medal, our highest honor.
- Robert “Bob” Ardell, received the Chairman’s Award, given in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the Foundation and our mission.
- Kay Pitts was this year’s Trustee Associates Service Award recipient, largely for her role in orchestrating many quality improvements to the Foundation’s Grants-in-Aid program.
- Henry Agbogun, an assistant professor in the department of geosciences at Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kan., was year’s recipient of the Inspirational Geoscience Educator Award.
- Vincente Lorenz, a passionate and adventurous science teacher at Kokomo High School, in Kokomo, Ind., is this year’s AAPG Foundation Teacher of the Year.
It was a great meeting, and it inspired all of us to continue pursuing our goal with passion and energy: We’re working for geoscience’s future – and we’re honored to be doing it with you.