2024 Symposium & Senior Recognition Awards Event

August 15, 2024

This summer marked the 20th anniversary of GeoFORCE academies. We closed out the summer with our annual GeoFORCE Symposium and Senior Recognition Awards Event. Students presented research posters they worked on throughout the week with research scientists and faculty members from the Jackson School of Geosciences. Before the poster hall was opened to the public, students presented their findings to judges, who graded them based on attributes such as the effectiveness of their experiments, quality of data collected, and overall presentation. After the judges went through, families of students were invited to come into Welch Hall to see the impressive work the 12th graders had done throughout the week, encapsulating everything they’ve learned in the GeoFORCE Program over the past four years.

We were joined by several of our supporting companies, including Chevron, Repsol, and SLB. Representatives from the companies set up tables and spoke with guests at the event. They also gave out merchandise, and spoke about the work their companies are doing.

After guests had some time to walk around the exhibit hall, we moved into the auditorium for the recognition and awards session. We had several speakers, including Robert Swift of Shell, Senior Vice Provost for Curriculum and Enrollment and the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Richard Reddick, and The Jackson School of Geoscience’s Dean, Claudia Mora.

Dr. Leah Turner announced the 2024 Hall of Fame inductees: Nicole Gonzalez, Gabriel Villaseñor, and Priscila Paez. Priscila Paez, a Chevron Geotechnologist, spoke about her experience and how GeoFORCE shaped the path to where she is now. Sharing photos of herself from her own GeoFORCE academies, she described manifesting her dream life, which she has attained through the help of GeoFORCE.

To close the ceremony, we announced the winning groups who placed 1st and 2nd in the poster presentations. The 2024 winning posters were “The Ancient Connection Between Texas and Antarctica” from Staci Loewy’s research group, and “GeoHeritage of the Comal Springs GeoSign” from Linda McCall’s research group. Along with the two winning groups, the top performing students of each group were offered the opportunity to attend the 2024 American Geophysical Union (AGU) National Conference, happening this December in Washington DC. Their names are listed below. We want to congratulate all of our students for their amazing work this year!