AGI Welcomes Ernest A. Mancini as New President

Alexandria, VA — The American Geological Institute (AGI) is pleased to welcome its newest president, Dr. Ernest A. Mancini, who is a Distinguished Research Professor of geology at the University of Alabama (UA), Director of the Center for Sedimentary Basin Studies at UA and the Eastern Gulf Region Director of the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council.

In 1976, after receiving his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, Mancini joined the UA geology department as faculty and simultaneously worked for two state agencies including the Geological Survey of Alabama. Subsequently, he became the Alabama State Geologist and Director and Oil and Gas Supervisor of the state’s Oil and Gas Board. Because of his dedication and notable experience, Mancini served as a technical advisor to four Alabama governors, as well as serving on numerous local, state and federal committees, councils and boards. In recognition of his strong leadership skills, Mancini was also elected President of the Association of American State Geologists in 1990.

After working at the state survey for fourteen years, Mancini decided to return to the academic world full-time, teaching for the University of Alabama. This move not only allowed him to focus on his own research interests in oil and gas, but also gave him the opportunity to assist graduate students, much in the way he remembered being helped as a student himself. Mancini supervised 20 theses and 8 dissertations, and since 1996, he has been the primary project director, co-director or primary mentor for research grants totaling more than $12 million.

With over 130 papers and 200 abstracts published in renowned scientific journals, Mancini is widely recognized and honored for his ability to communicate and educate. He has made more than 200 technical presentations to academic, industrial and governmental organizations.

An AGI Ian Campbell Medalist, Mancini’s numerous awards and honors include the Grover Murray Distinguished Educator Award, the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Outstanding Educator Award, and the Levorsen Petroleum Geology Award. He is also a Geological Society of America Fellow, a Haas-Pratt Distinguished Lecturer and an honorary member of the Association of American State Geologists, the Gulf Coast Section of the Society of Sedimentary Geology and of the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies.

Mancini’s exceptional commitment and dedication to the geological sciences has distinguished him amongst professional scientists. He has served as president and chair for societies and organizations such as the southeastern section of the Geological Society of America, the southeastern section of the Paleontological Society and the North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature as well as on the boards for a number of societies and organizations such as the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Division of Environmental Geosciences, the Board on Natural Resources of the National Academy of Sciences and the Gulf Coast Section SEPM.

Mancini will be inducted into office on October 18, 2005, during the Friends of AGI Reception in Salt Lake City, Utah.