2011-2012 Dean’s Desk
April 30, 2012
Welcome to the Dean’s Desk, which celebrates accomplishments of members of the Jackson School community. With this many honors, there is always a risk of overlooking some. Please accept the editors’ apologies and send along any omitted material, which we will place on the Web site. You can send information to J.B. Bird in the Dean’s Office. Enjoy reading about these distinctions and keep them coming.
Awards & Honors (External)
| Recipient | Award | Division/Organization |
| Jamie Austin | Career Service Award | International Ocean Drilling Program/European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling |
| Jay Banner | First person certified as a Board Certified Environmental Scientist | American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists |
| Bayani Cardenas | Hydrologic Sciences Early Career Award | AGU |
| Bayani Cardenas | Kohout Early Career Award | GSA Hydrogeology Division |
| Eddie Collins | Distinguished Service Award | Austin Geological Society |
| Tim Dooley | Top 10 Poster Award (co-recipient) | AAPG |
| Sergey Fomel | Best Poster, SEG Annual International Meeting | SEG |
| Craig Fulthorpe | Distinguished Lecturer | Consortium for Ocean Leadership |
| Michael Hudec | Top 10 Poster Award (co-recipient) | AAPG |
| Martin Jackson | Top 10 Poster Award (co-recipient) | AAPG |
| Carey King | Rosenfeld Award | Environmental Research Letters |
| Carey King | Best Paper of ASME Energy Sustainability Conference | American Society of Mechanical Engineers |
| Stephen Laubach | Distinguished Lecturer | AAPG |
| Jack Sharp | Presidential Award for Outstanding Service | International Association of Hydrogeologists |
| Harm Van Avendonk | Distinguished Lecturer | GeoPRISMS |
Awards & Honors (UT & JSG)
| Name | Award | Organization/Unit |
| Eric Aiello | Outstanding Staff Award | UTIG |
| Mead Allison | Director’s Circle of Excellence Award | UTIG |
| William Ambrose | Tinker Family Publication of the Year Award | BEG |
| Jay Banner | Texes Exes Teaching Award (Professor) | Texas Exes |
| Philip Bennett | G. Moses and Carolyn G. Knebel Distinguished Teaching Award (Graduate) | JSG |
| Don Blankenship | Outstanding Researcher Award | UTIG |
| Don Blankenship | Director’s Circle of Excellence Award | UTIG |
| David Carr | Tinker Family Publication of the Year Award | BEG |
| Ginny Catania | Director’s Circle of Excellence Award | UTIG |
| Gail Christeson | Director’s Circle of Excellence Award | UTIG |
| Julia Clarke | G. Moses and Carolyn G. Knebel Distinguished Teaching Award (Intro to Geology) | JSG |
| Sigrid Clift | Outstanding Service Award | JSG |
| William Fisher | Joseph C. Walter Jr. Excellence Award | JSG |
| Peter Flemings | Director’s Circle of Excellence Award | UTIG |
| Tucker Hentz | Tinker Family Publication of the Year Award | BEG |
| Mark Helper | G. Moses and Carolyn G. Knebel Distinguished Teaching Award (Undergraduate) | JSG |
| Mark Helper | Outstanding Educator Award | JSG |
| Jack Holt | Director’s Circle of Excellence Award | UTIG |
| Brian Horton | Outstanding Research Award | JSG |
| Brian Horton | Director’s Circle of Excellence Award | UTIG |
| Michael Hudec | Landmark Publication of 2011 | BEG |
| Martin Jackson | Landmark Publication of 2011 | BEG |
| Joe MacGregor | Director’s Circle of Excellence Award | UTIG |
| Art Maxwell | Hall of Distinction | JSG |
| Kirk McIntosh | Director’s Circle of Excellence Award | UTIG |
| Lynda Miller | Outstanding Staff Award | UTIG |
| Eleanor Picard | Eleanor Picard Excellence Award | UTIG |
| Elias Sellards (deceased) | Hall of Distinction | JSG |
| Tim Shanahan | 2nd Place, Best Represented Research Group, JSG 1st Annual Research Symposium | JSG/ConocoPhillips |
| Jeff Sprowl | Tinker Family Publication of the Year Award | BEG |
| Daniel Stockli | 1st Place, Best Represented Research Group, JSG 1st Annual Research Symposium | JSG/ConocoPhillips |
| Paul Stoffa | Career Researcher Award | UTIG |
| Mark Wiederspahn | Staff Excellence Award | JSG |
| James Lee Wilson (deceased) | Hall of Distinction | JSG |
| Duncan Young | Outstanding Young Researcher Award | UTIG |
| Duncan Young | Director’s Circle of Excellence Award | UTIG |
Promotions
| Name | Position | Division/Organization |
| Marcy Davis | RSA IV | UTIG |
| Dan Duncan | RSA IV | UTIG |
| Kenneth Edwards | Facilities Manager | BEG |
| Sergey Fomel | Professor | DGS |
| Patrick Fulton | RSA V | UTIG |
| Sean Gulick | Research Associate Professor | UTIG |
| Jack Holt | Research Associate Professor | UTIG |
| Brian Horton | Professor | DGS |
| Joe MacGregor | RSA V | UTIG |
| Britney Schmidt | RSA V | UTIG |
| Hongliu Zeng | Senior Research Scientist | BEG |
Leadership
| Name | Position | Division/Organization |
| Chris Bell | Secretary | Society of Vertebrate Paleontology |
| Bayani Cardenas | Associate Editor, Reviews of Geophysics | AGU |
| Bayani Cardenas | Associate Editor, Water Resources Research | AGU |
| Bayani Cardenas | Associate Editor, Hydrogeology Journal | Springer |
| Kerry Cook | Editor, Journal of Climate | American Meteorological Society |
| Michelle Michot Foss | Board of Advisors | Consumer Energy Alliance |
| Philip Guerrero | Local Chair, Conference Planning Committee
Vice President |
National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals Texas Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals |
| Bob Hardage | President | SEG |
| Stephen Laubach | Elected Editor and Member, Executive Committee | AAPG |
| Sharon Mosher | President Elect | AGI |
| Scott Tinker | AAPG Past President, Nominating | AAPG Advisory Council |
Student Awards
| Student | Award | Organization |
| Benjamin Bass | 2011 Oustanding Student, Groundwater Field Methods Course (co-recipient) | JSG |
| Kenny Befus | 1st place Grad Petrography Contest | JSG |
| Kevin Befus | 2012 Oustanding Student, Groundwater Field Methods Course (co-recipient) | JSG |
| Paul Betka | Outstanding TA | JSG |
| Curtis Bixler | Best M.S. Tech Session Speaker (Spring 2012) | DGS |
| Charles Brothers | 1st Place, PhD student, JSG 1st Annual Research Symposium | JSG/ConocoPhillips |
| Rudra Chaterjee | Outstanding TA | JSG |
| Josh Dixon | Outstanding TA | JSG |
| Justin Fitch | 2nd Place, 2nd-year M.S. student, JSG 1st Annual Research Symposium | JSG/ConocoPhillips |
| Guy Fitz | Outstanding Student Paper Award (Fall 2011 AGU Meeting) | AGU Tectonophysics Section |
| Rattanaporn Fongngern | 4th place Best Student Poster, 2012 AAPG Annual Meeting | AAPG |
| Aaron Hantsche | 1st place Undergrad Petrography Contest | JSG |
| Kelly Hereid | Outstanding Student Paper Award | AGU (Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology Section) |
| Kelly Hereid | Best Tech Session PhD Speaker (Spring 2012) | DGS |
| Qinjian Jin | 1st Place, 1st-year M.S. student, JSG 1st Annual Research Symposium | JSG/ConocoPhillips |
| Bryant Kopriva | 1st Place, 2nd-year M.S. student, JSG 1st Annual Research Symposium | JSG/ConocoPhillips |
| Ethan Lake | 2nd Place, PhD student, JSG 1st Annual Research Symposium | JSG/ConocoPhillips |
| Maureen LeVoir | 2nd place, 1st-year M.S. student, JSG 1st Annual Research Symposium | JSG/ConocoPhillips |
| Ann Marchock | Thelma Lynn Guion Library Staff Award | JSG |
| Lisa Meyer | GSEC Award | JSG |
| Cornel Olariu | Gheorghe Munteanu-Murgoci Award in Geosciences | Romanian Academy of Sciences |
| John Alex Parker | 2nd place team, 2012 Gulf Coast Region Imperial Barrel Award (IBA) competition | AAPG |
| Lacey Pyle | Honorable Mention, 2012 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program | NSF |
| Kristie Ramlal | 2nd place team, 2012 Gulf Coast Region Imperial Barrel Award (IBA) competition | AAPG |
| Wendy Robertson | Outstanding Student Paper Award | Hydrology Section, AGU |
| Reed Roush | Estwing Hammer Award | JSG |
| Julia Schneider | Best PhD Student Speaker, Tech Sessions (Fall 2011) | DGS |
| Julia Schneider | Best Paper Award | DGS |
| Spencer Seman | 2nd place Grad Petrography Contest | JSG |
| Jeff Senison | 2012 Outstanding Student in Hydrogeology Field Methods (co-recipient) | DGS |
| Andrew Smith | Best Student Presentation | Gordon Research Conference on Natural Gas Hydrate Systems 2012 |
| Andrew Smith | Outstanding Student Paper Award | AGU Ocean Sciences Section |
| Andrew Smith | Best M.S. Tech Session Speaker (Spring 2012) | DGS |
| Gordon Smith | 2nd place team, 2012 Gulf Coast Region Imperial Barrel Award (IBA) competition | AAPG |
| Isaac Smith | 2012 Stephen E. Dwornik Planetary Geoscience Student Paper Award (Graduate Poster) | Geological Society of America |
| Isaac Smith | Outstanding Grad Student Paper | JSG |
| Pamela Speciale | Distinguished College Scholar, UT Austin Honors Day | UT |
| Pamela Speciale | Outstanding Student | Houston Geological Society |
| Elisabeth Steel | Estwing Hammer Award | JSG |
| Richard Steel | Outstanding TA | JSG |
| Vera Stoynova | Outstanding TA | JSG |
| Ray ‘Ryan’ Velazquez | 2013 Outstanding Student in Hydrogeology Field Methods (co-recipient) | DGS |
| Dolores van der Kolk | 2012 Alexander Sisson Award | GSA |
| Benjamin Wagman | Best M.S. Speaker Award, Tech Sessions (Fall 2011) | JSG/BP |
| Goodwin Wharton | Texas Exes Teaching Award (Graduate Instructor) | Texas Exes |
| Quinn Wenning | 1st Place undergraduate, JSG 1st Annual Research Symposium | JSG/ConocoPhillips |
| Corrine Wong | Philanthropic Educational Organization Scholar Award | Philanthropic Educational Organization |
| Stephanie Wood | 2nd place team, 2012 Gulf Coast Region Imperial Barrel Award (IBA) competition | AAPG |
| Robert Zinke | 2nd place undergraduate, JSG 1st Annual Research Symposium | JSG/ConocoPhillips |
| Ian Yeats | 2nd place Undergrad Petrography Contest | JSG |
| Lei Yin | Outstanding Poster Presentation, WCRP Open Science Conference | World Climate Research Programme |
Student Grants & Fellowships
| Student | Award | Organization |
| Meredith Bush | Graduate Research Grant | GSA |
| Meredith Bush | L. Austin Weeks Memorial Grant | AAPG |
| Terence Campbell | 2012 Marathon Fellowship | Marathon Oil Company |
| Terence Campbell | ConocoPhillips Annual Fellowship | ConocoPhillips |
| Marie Cavitte | UTIG Fellowship | UTIG |
| Sarah Coyle | L. Austin Weeks Undergraduate Grant | AAPG |
| Michael Cronin | Mruk Family Named Grant | AAPG |
| Michael Cronin | Ewing/Worzel Fellowship, Fall 2011 | UTIG |
| John Boone Desanto | Don R. Boyd Endowed Presidential Scholarship | UT |
| Bruce Frederick | Early Career Scientist Travel Award | GSA and U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Geological Sciences (USNC/GS) |
| Shaunak Ghosh | Tiara Foundation Special Grant | Tiara Charitable Foundation |
| Sam Hiebert | Horst and Jessie Von Bandat Memorial Grant | AAPG |
| Gregory Hurd | Frederick A. Sutton Memorial Grant | AAPG |
| Han Kyul (Kyra) Kim | Unrestricted Endowed Presidential Scholarship | UT |
| Nicole Kurka | Unrestricted Endowed Presidential Scholarship | UT |
| Mariya Levina | Kenneth H. Crandall Memorial Grant | AAPG |
| Mariya Levina | Graduate Student Research Grant | GSA |
| Mariya Levina | Off Campus Research Grant | JSG (Ronald K. DeFord Field Scholarship Fund) |
| Maureen LeVoir | Off-Campus Research Grant, William R. Muehlberger Fund | JSG |
| Siwei Li | Statoil Fellowship | Statoil |
| Katherine Markovich | Undergraduate Research Fellowship | UT Co-op |
| Joy Mercier | Luminant Environmental Research Program Fellowship | Luminant |
| Michael Merrell | Statoil Fellowship | Statoil |
| Allison Ned | Norman H. Foster Memorial Scholarship | Rocky Mountain Assoc. of Geologists |
| Nick Perez | Research Grant | GSA |
| Nick Perez | Graduate Research Fellowship (2011-2014) | NSF |
| Laura Pommer | Devon Energy Fellowship for Mudstone Research | Devon Energy |
| Laura Pommer | Suzanne Takken Memorial Grant | AAPG |
| Edgardo Pujols | Minority Scholarship | AGI |
| Wendy Robertson | Research Grant | Sigma Xi Committee |
| Jeff Senison | Research Grant | GSA |
| Andrew Smith | Fulbright Graduate Fellowship | Fulbright Program |
| Andrew Smith | SPIRIT Scholar | ConocoPhillips |
| Isaac Smith | Earth and Space Science Fellowship | NASA |
| Elisabeth Steel | Undergraduate Research Fellowship | UT VP of Research/JSG |
| Dolores van der Kolk | Research Grant | GSA |
| John Warden | Graduate Student Research Grant | GSA |
| John Warden | Early Career Scientist Travel Fellowship Grant | GSA and U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Geological Sciences (USNC/GS) |
| Stephanie Wood | William Dow Hamm Memorial Memorial Grant | AAPG |
| Lei Yin | Ronald K. DeFord Field Scholarship | JSG |
| Lei Yin | Travel Grant | AGU |
| Yao You | Ewing Worzel Fellowship, Spring 2012 | UTIG |