Scholarships

Michael S. Johnson Scholarship for students doing research in petroleum exploration, development, and reservoir characterization.

The Michael S. Johnson Scholarship is awarded to a graduate student at any accredited college or university who is pursuing petroleum-related research.  It was established by a generous gift to the RMAG Foundation from Michael Johnson, a well-known and highly successful petroleum geologist in the Denver area. Michael has been active professionally throughout his long career in the Rocky Mountains and in international plays.

The 2025 Michael S. Johnson Scholarship was awarded to:

Abigail Lynne Tucker, M.S. Student, Geology, University of Texas at Austin

Abigail Thesis topic is “Mapping Cyclic Depositional Patterns and Facies Distribution in the Navajo Sandstone.” She proposes to map the frequency and thickness of grain flow, grain fall and wind ripple deposits with the expectation that these features will provide insight into large-scale cyclic depositional patterns within the Navajo Sandstone. The study area is within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument/Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area. Due to the wilderness status of the area, she plans to collect high-resolution photogrammetry data using high-precision global navigation satellite system data. These data will be processed to centimeter-level accuracy and 3D computer models will be generated. The models will be used to contextualize the field measurements, interpret the stratigraphic surfaces and identify different deposits in different areas. The goal is to produce a detailed map that shows the distribution of aeolian facies which will be overlain onto the 3D models. This work will contribute to our understanding of the fine- and large-scale reservoir quality of aeolian sandstones. It will also potentially offer insight into how climate influences the texture, composition, shape, magnitude and frequency of cyclic deposits influencing reservoir heterogeneity in aeolian systems.

Abigail’s work is under the direction of Dr. Zoltan Sylvester

Abigail has a B.S. in Geosciences from the University of Montana

Recent winners of the Michael S. Johnson Scholarship:

2024 Izabelle Buentello, Oklahoma State University

2023 Brigham Cardon, Brigham Young University

2022 Carolina Mayorga, Colorado School of Mines