Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal

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This Medal, initially named the Legendary Geoscientist Award, was established in 1999, by AGI and the AGI Foundation. It was subsequently renamed in 2006 to honor Marcus Milling, an individual who made significant contributions to AGI during his 14-year tenure as the Institute's Executive Director (1992-2006), directing the Institute’s affairs so AGI achieved financial stability and substantial growth. This award is given periodically to a geoscientist who has a long history of sustained scientific achievement and exceptional service to the geoscience profession.

Deadline: February 15, 2026

Eligibility

The candidate must be living at the time of selection and, if at all possible, should be present to receive the medal. Awards are not required annually but will be made as worthy participants are identified. One award is usually given each year.

Guidelines for Consideration of Candidates

Recipient must be (1) consistent contributor of high-quality scientific achievements and service to the Earth sciences having lasting, historic value, (2) recognized previously for accomplishments in field(s) of expertise by professional societies, universities, or other organizations, (3) a senior scientist nearing completion or has completed full-time regular employment, and (4) living at time of selection and expected to personally accept the award.

Nomination Procedure

Complete and submit the online nomination form.
Have any letters of support emailed to nominations@americangeosciences.org. Please clearly indicate in the subject the award, nominee name, and that it is a letter of support.
Nominees shall not be under investigation by any court, regulatory agency, employer, or other public or private entity for professional misconduct, including formal ethics complaints that must be investigated for professional society bylaws violations, or found to have engaged in such misconduct by any entity.

Selection Procedure and Criteria

Nomination forms may be submitted to AGI by individuals or by Member Societies. Nominations should include a detailed description of the candidate’s achievements and 50-word candidate citation. The determination will be made by a special five-person Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal (MMLGM) Nominating Committee consisting of the Chair, which is AGI’s current President, President Elect, Past President, and representatives of the Geoscience Development Roundtable. Once the Nominating Committee determines its final candidate, their selection needs to be confirmed by the AGI Board of Directors in order to become official.

Description of the Medal

The award will be a bronze medal. The obverse side bears a likeness of Marcus Milling with the words “Marcus Milling / AGI Legendary Geoscientist.” The medal will have a ribbon attached for hanging around the neck of the recipient and displayed in a wooden box with a brass plate engraved with the name of the recipient and the year of the award.

Presention of the Medal

Presentation of the award will be by the AGI President or a designee at an appropriate national society convention or meeting. In 2011 AAPG agreed to presentation of this award at their Presidential Awards ceremony in conjunction with their annual meeting.

Recipients

1999 J. David Love
2000 Konrad B. Krauskopf
2002 Michel T. Halbouty
2004 Peter R. Vail (spring)
2004 Norman D. Newell (fall)
2005 Gerald M. Friedman
2006 Robert J. Weimer
2007 William L. Fisher
2008 W. Gary Ernst
2010 William R. Muehlberger
2011 Robert H. Dott Jr.
2012 Sven Treitel
2013 John D. Bredehoeft
2014 Robert D. Hatcher Jr.
2015 Hiroo Kanamori
2016 Ernest A. Mancini
2017 Susan W. Kieffer
2018 William A. Thomas
2019 Barbara A. Romanowicz
2020 Sharon Mosher
2021 Franklin W. Schwartz
2022 Donald I. Siegel
2023 Brian F. Atwater
2024 Kevin Bohacs
2025 Robert Hazen