Lester C. Uren Award
Nominate | Recipients |Other awards
Lester C. Uren was an author, researcher, and educator at the University of California for more than 40 years. He wrote the first petroleum-engineering textbook in 1924 and founded the first curriculum for petroleum engineering in 1915. His wide recognition as a leader in petroleum engineering education is seen by the fact that schools not only in the US and Canada, but also in Europe and South America, sent students to finish or undertake graduate work under Professor Uren. He combined the theoretical and practical aspects of petroleum engineering in such a manner that his method became a trademark during his long teaching career. He spent summers in the oil fields of California to familiarize himself with the practical working conditions of the engineer. Uren was not content to confine himself to the academic world, but demonstrated a remarkable spirit in putting the results of investigations and discussions based on both field and university work before active engineers. Professor Uren’s research activities were basic to the understanding of the science of petroleum engineering. He published more than160 articles on research, engineering applications, economics, and education in the field. An amplification of his petroleum-engineering handbook, now three volumes, is used as a standard reference work in most petroleum schools and oil companies.
The Lester C. Uren Award, established in 1963, recognizes distinguished achievement in the technology of petroleum engineering by a member who made the contribution before age 45. The candidate must be a living member of SPE.
Criteria
The Lester C. Uren Award recognizes distinguished achievement in the technology of petroleum engineering.
- The candidate must be a living member of SPE
- 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.
- The candidate must have been under 45 years of age when the work being recognized was completed
- No candidate may receive the award solely on the basis of the technical achievement for which he or she received an SPE technical award, but the technical award should not preclude receiving the Lester C. Uren Award
- The award may be presented to a group for truly outstanding achievements, but preference is given to individual awards. In the event of a group award, not all members of the group need be SPE members.
- Recipients of the Anthony F. Lucas or the John Franklin Carll Award are ineligible for the Lester C. Uren Award for a period of 5 years.
- Current SPE Board of Directors, Lester C. Uren Award committee members, and those who have served in these positions during the past 2 years are not eligible.
- 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.
