Scholarships & Awards

The American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG) was founded in 1963 to certify the credentials of professional geologists, provide support, and to advocate on behalf of the profession. The AIPG also provides scholarships.

Who can Apply for a Scholarship?

• Declared earth-science majors (undergraduate or graduate students) enrolled in a Texas university.
• At least a sophomore in good standing or at least a 1st-Year Graduate student.

The Purpose of the Scholarship?

The expressed purpose is to assist students with college educational costs AND to encourage student participation in the AIPG.

AIPG Texas Scholarships

• The Foss Scholarship: Undergraduate Students: Amount: $1,000.00
• The Shoemaker Scholarship: Graduate Students: Amount: $2,500.00

Before you apply for a scholarship from the Texas Section of the AIPG, you need to be a student member. Why? It is an AIPG requirement to confirm your Texas university residency ! This is free. Even more reasons to become an AIPG Student Member? See (here). Then, Fill Out the Form (more) and send it off to our National Office in Colorado with a copy to the Texas Section for confirmation.

Texas Scholarships Awarded to Date

Announcement of the 2025 Scholarship Awards: (more)

Announcement of the 2024 Scholarship Awards: (more).

Announcement of the 2023 Scholarship Awards: (more).

Announcement of the 2022 Scholarship Awards (more).

Announcement of the 2021 Scholarship Awards (None Awarded – Funding Required for GeoDayz 2022 Training Workshop.

Announcement of the 2020 Scholarship Awards (None Awarded – Thanks to Sunset Commission).

Announcement of the 2019 Scholarship Awards (None Awarded – Thanks to Sunset Commission).

Announcement of the 2018 Scholarship Awards (more).

Announcement of the 2017 Scholarship Awards (more).

Announcement of the 2016 Scholarship Awards (more)

The Outstanding Contributions Award – 2024

To: M. David Campbell (here).

A Summary for Why Become a Student Member of AIPG?

• Establish professional contacts and broaden technical knowledge via the resources available on the Texas Section and National websites.
• Attend technical meetings and field trips.
• Mentoring from other professionals and potential employment contacts, e.g. (here).
• Apply for undergraduate and graduate scholarships (see below).
• Post resume and search for jobs on websites, e.g., (here).
• Resources on the range of careers in geology.
• A webpage devoted to the Texas AIPG Statewide Student Chapter (here).

Submit articles to the tri-monthly journal The Professional Geologist. These major priorities are predicated on the conviction that:

1. the science of geology is vital to the interests of the nation, domestically and internationally, in times of peace and when national security is at risk; and
2. in order to best protect public health, safety, and welfare, to provide strategic resources, and assist in the effective administration of government programs in which geology plays a prominent role, the science of geology should be practiced by qualified geoscientists.

AIPG represents the professional interests of all practicing geoscientists in every discipline. Its advocacy efforts are focused on the promotion of the role of geology and geologists in society both in the universities and industry. For additional information, see AIPG Texas Section website (more). Also see the available resources offered in the AGI website (more). Here is a copy of the above should you wish to send it or print it out for one of your student friends (more).

Who can Apply for a Scholarship?

The purpose of the scholarship is to assist students with college education costs and to promote student participation in the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG). Up to four scholarships may be awarded each year to declared undergraduate and graduate students who are earth-science majors and who are either at least sophomores (Foss Scholarship) or are in at least the first year of graduate school in a Texas university (Shoemaker Scholarship).

Scholarship Awards

Scholarship awards in the amount of $1,000 each will be made to eligible undergraduate students attending a college or university in Texas (Foss Scholarship). Scholarships are to be used to support tuition and/or room and board. Outstanding graduate students may receive up to $2,500 (Shoemaker Scholarship).

Eligibility Requirements

Any student who is majoring in geology (or earth science), is at least a sophomore, and is attending a four-year accredited college or university in Texas can apply. Also, the student must be either a student member of AIPG or must have applied for student membership at the time the application for scholarship is submitted. Each student that is awarded a scholarship agrees, by accepting the award, to prepare a 600 to 800 word article for possible publication in The Professional Geologist. The subject of the article must be related to a timely professional issue.

Application Process

Applicants must submit:

1. A cover letter, addressed to the Chair, AIPG-TX Scholarship Committee, introducing yourself and telling us what you have done outside of the classroom such as research projects, officer in club, or outside activities within the community. Address your career goals in near term and longer term;
2. An essay on “Why I Want to be a Professional Geologist”;
3. A copy of your transcript (unofficial) and documentation that you are a current student. Requisite standards to apply are a minimum GPA of 2.8 (on a 4-point scale) and a minimum of 12 semester credits of geology/geoscience courses with a 3.0 GPA in these courses completed at time of application; and
4. A letter of recommendation from a geology/geoscience professor that provides an emphasis on your performance and activities in the classroom, in the department, and your character in how you work and help other students.

NEXT YEAR: Application Due Date: by February 14, 2026

Submit applications to:
Regina Capuano, Ph.D., C.P.G., P.G
Chair, AIPG-TX Scholarship and Awards Committee
Email: capuano@uh.edu

Selection Process

Once the student applications have been received, the Chair of the Committee creates a Checklist sheet of the four items submitted in the application, plus a confirmation of student classification (Graduate or Undergraduate in geology, geophysics, etc.), a conformation that student is enrolled in a Texas-accredited university, a confirmation that the applicant is a student member of AIPG (or pending), a confirmation of a minimum GPA of 2.8, and a confirmation of a minimum of 12 semester credits in geology/geosciences with a minimum of 3.0 GPA.

The Checklist sheet and the 4 sections from each applicant are then distributed to the AIPG Texas Section Scholarship Committee for their assessment. Each of the four sections of the student’s applications is reviewed and assigned a number rating between 1 and 10 (the 10 being the highest rating) for applicants applying for either the Shoemaker Graduate Scholarship or the Foss Undergraduate Scholarship. The scoring is tallied for each applicant and reported to the Chair.

The Chair then selects the 3 or 4 students with the highest rating in each scholarship category and make the determination of the best deserving students and reports her findings to the President of the AIPG Texas Section and Scholarship Committee, and other officers and district representatives for any comments at the next regular scheduled Texas AIPG-TX Board Meeting.  The President of the AIPG Texas Section then releases the announcement to the members of the Texas Section and general public via the Texas Section website (more) and the National AIPG for announcement to the some 7,800 members of the AIPG worldwide and to the general pubic (example: more). Each student recipient will be awarded either their Shoemaker Graduate Scholarship or their Foss Undergraduate Scholarship at the appropriate time with commemorative plaques and with AIPG Texas Section checks in their names. For the Shoemaker Award, a copy of the book, Shoemaker by Levy: The Man Who Made an Impact, by David H. Levy, with the inscription ( 2018: here) and (2022: here) will also be presented.

AIPG National Scholarships: (Feel Free to Apply for the National Scholarship as well: (here)).

NOTE: National Office of AIPG also awards separate undergraduate and graduate student scholarships to university students around the U.S., including Texas.

This webpage discusses only the Texas Section scholarships for students attending Texas universities./strong>

Future scholarships depends on the Texas Section revenues from dues, field trips, short courses, publications, and contributions from AIPG members and Friends of the AIPG Texas Section. Support for the National AIPG scholarships come from the Foundation of the American Institute of Professional Geologists and the AIPG members’ voluntary contributions. To make a donation to the Texas Section of the AIPG, contact Henry Wise (chair). To make a donation to the National AIPG Foundation, click (here).