Boulder, CO, USA - The Geological Society of America (GSA) recognized outstanding contributions from women and minorities with honors presented at the Presidential Address and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, 17 October 2009, during the Society's annual meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA.
Jaime D. Barnes, Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, received the Subaru Outstanding Woman in Science Award for her pivotal geochemical research. The annual award, given in partnership with Subaru of America, Inc., and in memory of former GSA President Doris M. Curtis, recognizes a woman whose Ph.D. research has had a major impact on the geosciences.
Barnes' Ph.D. and ensuing postdoctoral fellowship at the University of New Mexico dealt with chlorine isotope geochemistry of a wide range of geological materials. "Barnes resurrected, and has given relevance to, a geochemical technique first investigated almost 50 years ago," said Zachary Sharp, in citing her for the award. "After spending two years developing a method for extraction and analysis of chlorine isotope ratios from rocks, Barnes went on to address fundamental questions using this new analytical approach."
Read Barnes' complete citation and response at http://www.geosociety.org/awards/09speeches/SOWISA.htm
John T. Leftwich, Jr. of the Halliburton Company received the Bromery Award for the Minorities in recognition of his illustrious and varied career.
W. "Bill" and Cecile T. Bromery established the Bromery Fund for Minorities with the GSA Foundation in 1999 to honor a member of any minority, preferably African Americans, who have made significant contributions to research in the geological sciences, or those who have been instrumental in opening the geoscience field to other minorities.
Leftwich was a founding member of the National Association of Black Geologists and Geophysicists (NABGG), serving as its president for six terms from 1984 to 1990. Citationist Terry Engelder noted that Leftwich "carried NABGG almost single-handedly through the difficult years of reduced membership and little money between 1986 and 1989, when thousands of jobs were lost in the oil sector, and many NABGG members left the society."
"NABGG now has over four hundred members and is a GSA Associated Society, a testament to John's singular effort," said Engelder.
Leftwich received his B.S. from Virginia State University, his M.S. at the University of Massachusetts, and his Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University. He is an expert petroleum geologist with years of experience in both the onshore and offshore Gulf of Mexico, and has managed as many as seven exploration and production fields simultaneously. He has worked at corporations including Exxon, Meridian, and Shell, in addition to Halliburton, and his research investigations have focused on abnormal pressures and undercompaction in sedimentary basins.
Read Leftwich's complete citation and response at http://www.geosociety.org/awards/09speeches/bromery.htm
The Geological Society of America, founded in 1888, is a scientific society with more than 22,000 members from academia, government, and industry in more than 95 countries. Through its meetings, publications, and programs, GSA enhances the professional growth of its members and promotes the geosciences in the service of humankind. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, GSA encourages cooperative research among earth, life, planetary, and social scientists, fosters public dialogue on geoscience issues, and supports all levels of earth science education.