Each year, HGS recognizes outstanding students from seven area universities. Students are selected for recognition based on nomination of their faculty. HGS awards each outstanding student with $500, publication of their biographical sketch in the HGS Bulletin, and a plaque given at the October HGS General Dinner Meeting. This year, the following students have been selected by faculty for outstanding academic achievements and contributions to geology. Carolyn BraneckyRice UniversityCarolyn Branecky started at Rice University two years ago with every intention of becoming a biochemistry major. After all, she had been working in biochemical labs during most of her high school career and had already competed and won research competitions both statewide and regionally. But that plan was entirely upended this year when she took her first two Earth Science courses—Earth System Evolution/Cycles with Professor John Anderson and Quantitative Hydrogeology with Professor Brandon Dugan. By the end of the semester, she had switched her major to the field. “Climate change and water issues will affect everyone this century,” she says, “and I find that studying and researching these topics endlessly fascinating. I am excited about working on complex problems on a macro level and hope that my work will help generate a fuller understanding of these important changes in our planet.” Professor Dugan has commented that although the course she took was designed for senior-level undergraduates and graduate students in geoscience and engineering, Carolyn was allowed to enroll because of her enthusiasm and motivation. He reported that she excelled in the course, and that she received the second highest grade in the class, slightly behind a graduate student in environmental engineering. “She demonstrated control of the fundamentals,” he said, “and showed the ability to apply them. She is inquisitive, passionate and driven, which makes her an excellent student. All of these qualities that I observed lead me to believe she will be an excellent researcher as well.” Professor Anderson was so impressed by her motivation and engagement in his class that he offered her a position as an undergraduate research assistant in his lab where she works on a geomorphology project focusing on swath bathymetry data acquired from Pine Island Bay, Antarctica. He has stated that although she has been on the project for only a few months, she has already done an impressive job and generated significant results. “Her report was well thought out and constructed,” he commented. “She will continue her research next fall which I am sure will result in a paper.” Carolyn also applied for and was selected to participate in a NSF sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) project this summer. She was one of eight students selected nationwide to work on the Dune Geomorphology Project offered through the University of Wisconsin at Platteville and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. This work is projected to result in a group publication. Carolyn grew up in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, and is the oldest of seven sisters. She received many awards in high school including the Award for Excellence in Scientific Research from the Divine Savior Holy Angels High School, U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy. She was selected for the National Honor Society and was a National Merit Scholar. Upon entering Rice, she served as the Cancer Education Chair for Colleges Against Cancer, was an Office Assistant for the Rice Student Judicial Program and for the Rice Study Abroad Program, and was a Phone Ambassador for the University Telefund. Curtis JohnsonLamar UniversityCurtis Johnson is a senior at Lamar University pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Geology. He plans to attend graduate school to study geophysics. Curtis is currently a physical geology lab teacher and is on the Lamar University President’s List and the Dean’s List. He participated in a Big Bend National Park field excursion with Dr. Roger Cooper this past spring and will participate in geology field camp through Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and west Texas with Drs. Joseph Satterfield and Donald Owen this summer. Curtis is active in the Lamar University Geologic Society as Treasurer and is a student member of the AAPG. His other interests include football, ultimate Frisbee and wakeboarding. He is also an Eagle Scout. Vishal MaharajUniversity of Texas at AustinVishal Maharaj is a native of Trinidad and Tobago and is a Ph.D. candidate at the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin. He has found success in the field of sedimentary geology through his pursuits in academia and geology around the world. Vishal received his B.S. degree in Geology with Honors at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, following which he devoted time to seek the best graduate school to develop his academic background in sedimentary geology. He decided to pursue his M.S. degree in Geological Sciences with the Quantitative Clastics Laboratory (QCL) at UT Austin, headed by his advisor, Lesli Wood. His work on the Atoka Group of north-central Texas was the primary focus of his M.S. research, after which he continued on to pursue his doctorate in Geological Sciences. During Vishal’s academic career, he has successfully pursued internships at BP, ConocoPhillips and BHP Billiton, and was the captain of the UT Imperial Barrel team in 2010. He has also actively participated at numerous industry conferences and has received numerous industry-related awards based on his research in graduate school. Vishal’s current doctoral research at the QCL involves the investigation of the development of sedimentary fill within minibasin provinces through applications in physical modeling experiments and subsurface data analysis in deepwater Morocco and the Gulf of Mexico. Yuribia MuñozUniversity of HoustonYuribia Muñoz is a senior at the University of Houston where she has pursued a degree in Earth Science. She is currently working on her senior honors thesis on modern sedimentation rates in Flandres Bay, Antarctic Peninsula with Dr. Julia Wellner. She is a member of the Honors College and has received Dean’s List honors. She is also a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Golden Key Honor Societies. Last year, Yuribia spent two months on a research cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula working with scientists and students from the U.S., England, Belgium, Spain, and Korea. This summer she will attend geology field camp in Montana and in the Fall 2011 she will begin her graduate studies with a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and a Merage Foundation Fellowship. Jason OestreichSam Houston State UniversityJason Oestreich is a senior at Sam Houston State University a