Scholarships

Norman H. Foster Memorial Scholarship for research in applied petroleum geology

The Norman H. Foster Memorial scholarship is awarded to a graduate student at an accredited college or university who can demonstrate the ability and intent to utilize various exploration techniques to locate structural and/or stratigraphic accumulations of oil and gas.  Innovative research with the addition of fieldwork and/or subsurface data will be given special consideration. The scholarship was created in memory of Norm Foster who was one of RMAG’s most prestigious members, a leader in the Denver geologic community, an outstanding and successful explorer, and a highly respected member of local and national organizations.

The 2026 Norman H. Foster Memorial Scholarship was awarded to:

Owen Purcell, M.S., Geosciences, University of Arizona

Owen’s project uses ancient storm deposits (tempestites) to reconstruct storm dynamics and paleoclimate in the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway. Owen tests whether these deposits were formed by long-lived hurricanes or shorter-lived extratropical cyclones by analyzing how storm-generated sedimentary structures record changes in flow conditions during storm events. By applying sedimentologic principles and wave theory, Owen aims to extract quantitative information on wave height, energy, and duration from the rock record, providing a framework for interpreting storm behavior in deep time.

Owen’s work focuses on detailed field mapping and measurement of tempestite beds in the Book Cliffs, documenting variations in grain size, bed thickness, sedimentary structures, and spatial extent across tens of kilometers. These data are integrated with paleobathymetric constraints and modern analogs to reconstruct storm intensity and depositional processes. This approach generates a high-resolution record of ancient storm activity, improving understanding of how storms operated in past greenhouse climates and providing insight into how storm systems may respond to future climate change.

Owen’s work is under the direction of Dr. Peter DeCelles.

Recent winners of the Norman H. Foster Memorial Scholarship:

2025 Rachel Williams, Colorado School of Mines

2024 Matthew Musso, Colorado School of Mines

2023 Patrick Sullivan, Colorado School of Mines

2022 Luis Carlos Escobar Arenas, Colorado State University