Retired UA Professor Receives Honor from Petroleum Geologists

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. Ernest A. Mancini, professor emeritus of geological sciences and retired distinguished research professor in petroleum geology and stratigraphy at The University of Alabama, is the 2014 recipient of the Sidney Powers Memorial Award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

The association will recognize Mancini at the opening session of the April 2014 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition in Houston.

The Powers Award is given annually in recognition of distinguished and outstanding contributions to, or achievements in, petroleum geology. Mancini will become the 67th Powers medalist.

Mancini began his career with Cities Service Co. as an exploration geologist in 1974. Two years later, he became assistant professor in UA’s department of geological sciences, part of the College of Arts and Sciences. He was appointed state geologist and director for the Geological Survey of Alabama and oil and gas supervisor and director for the state of Alabama Oil and Gas Board in 1982, where he served simultaneously until 1996.

Mancini founded UA’s Center for Sedimentary Basin Studies, an interdisciplinary geoscience research center, in 1998 and served as interim chair of the department of geological sciences. He has received several AAPG awards, including the A.I. Levorsen Award in 1980, the Distinguished Educator Award in 2000 and Honorary Membership in 2008. He also served as AAPG elected editor in 2004-07 and was the Haas-Pratt Distinguished lecturer in 1987-88.

He was appointed Distinguished Research Professor at UA in 2005. He was named the Blackmon-Moody Outstanding Professor in 2007, and he received the Burnum Distinguished Professor Award and became professor emeritus in 2010.

The College of Arts and Sciences is UA’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships, Truman Scholarships, and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.