Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal
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Anthony F. Lucas was born in Austria in1855. He was a mining engineer, often referred to as the father of petroleum engineering. His successful drilling of the famous Spindletop field near Beaumont, TX was one of the most important events in the history of the petroleum industry. The Spindletop discovery in 1901 marked the beginning of the modern petroleum industry. It ushered in the development of the Texas Gulf Coast as a major oil-producing area. Lucas’s advanced knowledge of petroleum engineering principles was revealed when he revisited Spindletop in 1904 to find that 1200 wells had been drilled on 200 acres. Only 100 of these wells were still producing. Lucas then stated that a half dozen wells would have produced more than all those drilled, and he charged that the reservoir had been damaged by indiscriminate drilling activities.
Established in 1936 by AIME as the first major Institute Award to recognize contributions in petroleum engineering, the Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal is SPE’s major technical award. It recognizes those responsible for developing new technology and concepts and demonstrating distinguished achievement in improving the technique and practice of finding and producing petroleum. The Medal may be presented to a non-member.
Criteria
The Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal honors distinguished achievement in the identification and development of new technology and concepts that will enhance the process of finding or producing petroleum.
- The candidate does not have to be a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers
- All other factors being equal, preference will be given to members of the Society.
- The candidate must be living, but the death of a candidate after May 1 does not render them ineligible during that year; the award may be presented posthumously in this case.
- Recipients of the John Franklin Carll Award or the Lester C. Uren Award are ineligible for the Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal for a period of 5 years.
- Current SPE Board of Directors, Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal award committee members, and those who have served in these positions during the past 2 years are not eligible to be selected.
- Candidates remain on the active consideration list for 3 years.
- If a candidate is not selected during the 3-year active consideration cycle, they can be renominated the following year if all other eligibility requirements are met.
