Scholarships & Awards

Scholarships for Texas Geoscience Students

AIPG-TX scholarships help Texas geoscience students meet college expenses while encouraging participation in the American Institute of Professional Geologists. Eligible undergraduate and graduate students may apply for Texas Section scholarships, and students are also encouraged to explore separate scholarships offered by AIPG National.

Application Status

The 2026 application cycle is closed. The deadline and application instructions for the next scholarship cycle will be posted here when they are approved. Do not submit an application using an earlier year’s deadline without first confirming the current requirements.

Questions may be directed to:

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

AIPG-TX Scholarships

Ted H. Foss Undergraduate Scholarship

Award: $1,000

This scholarship supports eligible undergraduate geoscience students attending an accredited four-year college or university in Texas. Applicants must be at least sophomores and meet the academic and membership requirements below.

Gene Shoemaker Graduate Scholarship

Award: $2,500

This scholarship supports eligible graduate geoscience students attending an accredited university in Texas. Applicants must be in at least their first year of graduate study and meet the academic and membership requirements below.

AIPG-TX may award up to four scholarships in a year, depending on available funding, the current program and the pool of qualified applicants. Awards are intended to help with tuition and/or room and board.

Who May Apply?

Applicants must meet all applicable requirements for the scholarship category:

Be a declared undergraduate or graduate geoscience major enrolled at an accredited four-year college or university in Texas.
Be at least a sophomore in good standing or at least a first-year graduate student.
Have a degree plan that includes at least 25 semester hours of geoscience coursework.
Have a minimum overall GPA of 2.8 on a 4.0 scale.
Have completed at least 12 semester hours of geology/geoscience coursework with a minimum 3.0 GPA in those courses.
Be an AIPG student member or have submitted an application for free student membership when the scholarship application is submitted.

Relevant geoscience coursework may include general and field geology, mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry, sedimentology, stratigraphy, paleontology, geomorphology, Quaternary geology, structural geology, tectonics, seismology, hydrogeology, engineering geology, economic geology and energy resources.

Apply for free AIPG student membership →

Application Materials

A complete application includes the following four items:

Cover letter: Introduce yourself, describe relevant work outside the classroom – such as research, student-organization leadership or community activities – and explain your near-term and longer-term career goals.
Essay: Prepare an essay on the topic, “Why I Want to Be a Professional Geologist.”
Transcript and enrollment documentation: Provide an unofficial transcript and documentation showing that you are currently enrolled.
Faculty recommendation: Provide a letter from a geology/geoscience professor confirming that your degree plan includes at least 25 semester hours of geoscience coursework. The letter should address your classroom performance, departmental activities, character and the way you work with and assist other students.

Before submitting, confirm the current deadline, delivery method, required file formats and any cycle-specific instructions posted at the top of this page.

How Recipients Are Selected

The AIPG-TX Scholarship Committee reviews complete applications for eligibility and evaluates the applicant’s cover letter, essay, academic record and faculty recommendation. The committee reports its recommendations to the AIPG-TX leadership before awards are announced.

Scholarship recipients agree to prepare a 600- to 800-word article on a timely professional geoscience issue for possible publication in The Professional Geologist. Awards are normally presented with a commemorative plaque and recognition by AIPG-TX.

AIPG National Scholarships

AIPG National administers undergraduate and graduate scholarships separately from the Texas Section program. Texas students may apply for eligible national scholarships as well as AIPG-TX scholarships.

Recent AIPG-TX Scholarship Recipients

Earlier recipient announcements can remain available through the AIPG-TX scholarship news archive rather than being reproduced in full on this page.

Help Support Future Scholarships

AIPG-TX scholarships are supported by Section activities and contributions from members and friends of the Texas Section. To ask about supporting the scholarship program, please contact AIPG-TX.

In The News

University of Houston-Clear Lake Geology Department Granted Student Chapter Status

President Henry Wise, P.G., C.P.G. announced that University of Houston-Clear Lake Geology Department, sponsored by Professor Dongmin Sun, has been granted Student Chapter Status in the AIPG Texas Section.

AIPG Texas Monthly Webinar Series – Telescopes in Unusual Places – Tuesday, August 18th

AIPG Texas Monthly Webinar Series - Telescopes in Unusual Places - Tuesday, August 18th

AIPG-TX Webinar: Integration of Carbon-14 and Oxygen-18 as a Basis for Differentiating Between Pleistocene and Post-Pleistocene Groundwater Ages Along Flow Paths in West Texas Bolson Aquifers

AIPG Texas Monthly Webinar Series: Integration of Carbon-14 and Oxygen-18 as a Basis for Differentiating Between Pleistocene and Post-Pleistocene Groundwater Ages Along Flow Paths in West Texas Boson Aquifers - June 16, 2026 - Tuesday (Every 3rd Tuesday)

AIPG-TX Webinar: Sustainable Data Center Siting

Join us for our May webinar, "Sustainable Data Center Siting: Using CCUS and Shallow Geothermal to Lower Carbon Emissions and Water Demand," presented by Danny Kingham, Principal Hydrogeologist at GSI Environmental Inc.

AIPG-TX Webinar: Tectonic History, Structural Geology, and Mineral Resources of Hudspeth County, Texas

AIPG Texas Monthly Webinar Series: Tectonic History, Structural Geology, and Mineral Resources of Hudspeth County, Texas

2026 AIPG-TX Section Scholarship Awardees

Henry Wise, P.G., C.P.G., President of the Texas Section of the AIPG, and Dr. Regina Capuano, P.G., C.P.G., Chair, AIPG-TX Scholarships Committee announced recently that: Rohan Khadka, an undergraduate student at Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas has been awarded a Ted [...]

AIPG-TX Webinar: Uranium Roll-Front In-Situ Recovery in Sedimentary Basins: Contributing to the Global Uranium Demand for the Nuclear Renaissance (Slides Available)

Abstract Michael D. Campbell, P.G., P.H., C.P.G., (and Vice-President, AIPG-TX) with the assistance of Henry Wise, P.G., C.P.G., (and President, AIPG-TX) will be discussing how the the construction of nuclear power is expanding rapidly around the world, and with an emphasis [...]

AIPG-TX Webinar – February 17, 2026: Relationship Between East Texas Deltas and South Texas Eagle Ford Unconventional Production at the San Marcos Arc

Abstract Examination of cores from the Sabine Uplift, East Texas Basin, and outcrops and near-surface cores taken by the USGS from the north-central Texas outcrop belt identified four separate siliciclastic depositional systems during the Cenomanian-Turonian. Deposition during the lower Cenomanian Maness [...]