Colorado State Professor Honored with American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ Distinguished Educator Award for 2003

Frank G. Ethridge, Colorado State University professor of geology, has received the American Association of Petroleum Geologists’ Distinguished Educator Award for 2003.

Ethridge, who has been a professor of geology with the Department of Earth Resources at Colorado State for the past 28 years, is considered a national leader in the geological research area of modern and ancient river processes and deposits. He has published 65 papers in regional, national and international publications.

The Distinguished Educator Award is given by the AAPG in recognition of distinguished and outstanding contributions given to geological education. Only one award is given each year. The Distinguished Educator Award is granted based on contributions to the teaching of students, guidance of student research and scientific publications, university and community activities and involvement in the activities of scientific and professional organizations.

The award is the third honor for excellence in education that Ethridge has received in the past eight years. The others include the Burlington Northern Faculty Achievement Award for Outstanding Performance in Graduate Education and the Jack E. Cermack Outstanding Advisor Award for Colorado State’s College of Natural Resources.

"Frank Ethridge is a role model for professors everywhere that you can give selflessly to students without compromising your own scientific achievements," said Lesli Wood, a former Colorado State graduate student, in her citation for Ethridge. "He has taught the highest ethical and scientific lessons to hundreds of students and, in so doing, has fostered a legacy that will endure well beyond his tenure."

Founded in 1917, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists is currently the world’s largest professional geological society. It was created to advance the science of geology while fostering the spirit of scientific research and distributing information about geology. The Distinguished Educator Award was created in 1993 to recognize geologists who greatly contribute to geology education.