MICHAEL DEMING has served the Houston Geological Society in various capacities over the years. His volunteer work began in 1993 when he was Membership Chairman and he fulfilled that role until 1997. From 1997–1999 Michael was the HGS Treasurer-elect and Treasurer. His service continued as the Poster Chairman in 2000. He has also been a Guest Night volunteer. The society would like to recognize Michael for these service efforts, but in particular for his work as Awards Chairman from 2004-2011. During this period he has never let the society, a guest speaker, or an annual awardee go without proper recognition.
Michael always ensures the award inscription is perfect. This kind of service helps make the HGS a coherent and active society. The consistency and respect for our speakers and the reliability of volunteer efforts from Michael are what makes him the recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Service Award.
The Houston Geological Society is pleased to present its Distinguished Service Award to STEVE GETZ for his dedication to the Society. He is currently Chairman of the North American Interest Group where he has served since 2008, consistently bringing in a rich and diverse program of high-quality talks for this group. Prior to that he served three years as Treasurer for North American Interest Group. In addition to his work for HGS, he has served in the AAPG House of Delegates and is Chair of the AAPG Geophysical Integration Committee.
Steve received his B.S. in Geology from the University of New Mexico. He started with Cities Service as a geophysicist and then consulted for several years before joining Santos USA as a senior advisor, then as Chief Geologist for Allen-Hoffman Exploration. He now is principal of his own consulting company, Getz Exploration Consultants, Inc.
In appreciation for his years of service to the Society, we are happy to honor Steve Getz with this award.
MARTHA MCRAE’s service to the HGS goes beyond volunteerism. Our society is truly indebted to Martha for her passionate enthusiasm for sharing her knowledge and love of geology with the community. Martha has been central to the success of the HGS' largest public outreach event, Earth Science Week (ESW), having served on the committee for over a decade and as Committee Co-Chairman for seven years. At this week-long annual event, the HGS and our sister organizations reach thousands of people through the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) Family Energy Festival, public field trips, and K–12 activities that are geared for teachers and students. Without reservation, Martha has undertaken the planning and organization of this event which takes months of preparation and commitment. Outreach events like ESW are the public face of our society and central to building a lasting relationship with the community. For her tireless service, we are pleased to honor Martha with the Distinguished Service Award.
In addition to her service with ESW, Martha is a certified HGS Volunteer Geologist for the HMNS, leading tours and serving at museum events such as Dino Days and Boy Scout Badge Programs.Martha also has organized the HGS booth at the Houston Gem and Mineral Society's Annual Show and helped organize and run many of the public and college field trips associated with ESW. She has volunteered with the Academic Liaison and Engineering Council of Houston (ECH) committees. She has also been very active in the past with the Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG) as the Texas delegate in 1997-98, AWG Foundation Treasurer 1999-2001, and AWG Foundation Vice-President 2002-2003.
Martha has a B.S. in geology and a minor in computer science from Stephen F. Austin State University and an M.S. in geology from Texas A&M University. Her geologic interests and petroleum thesis involved environment of deposition and reservoir description. She is a Licensed Professional Geologist in the State of Texas. She is also a member of AAPG, GSA,AWG, and HGMS. Martha began her professional career in 1986 as a junior geologist at Petroleum Information, Inc. After graduate school in 1991, she began working for Exxon Exploration Company as a prospect generator in the Mid-Continent and Southern Louisiana exploration teams. In 1997, she joined Landmark Graphics as a geoscience consultant. She joined Chevron Energy Technology Company in 2005 and is currently helping to globally deploy their next generation of geological and geophysical software.
RENÉ MOTT has been a very active and dedicated volunteer for the HGS. She was instrumental in expanding last year’s Techno-Fest event to include a venue of presentations that highlight the use of advanced technologies in many of the hottest plays in the U,S. This year she is making Techno-Conference even better, and we are indebted!
Ms. Mott is an independent and is owner of
Empress Exploration, a company that invests in
and generates oil and gas projects. She holds a
bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M and a
masters degree from the University of Texas.
Her career began in 1982 with Unocal in
Houston as a geophysicist working the Gulf of
Mexico. In 1990 her career continued in Dallas with Maxus Energy
as a geophysicist for the Miocene exploration team. In 1995 she
returned to Houston with Gulfstar and Peltex.
In 1999, Ms. Mott was hired as the 35th
employee of Seismic Micro-Technology as
Director of Technical Support and Advisor.
Even though she is no longer employed there,
she still jumps into the SMT e-mail group and
offers assistance and solutions to problems that
users may have. She is a member of HGS, SEG,
AAPG, and SIPES, and is a Texas State
Registered professional geophysicist.