Dennis Curry Prize

Our warm congratulations go to our graduate - Stefano Patruno who was awarded Geologists' Association (GA) MSc Dennis Curry Fund Prize for the "outstanding MSc dissertation"  in stratigraphical micropaleontology in the UK in 2008.  Stefano, supervised by Dr Michael Kaminski, has presented his results at the Eighth International Workshop on Agglutinated Foraminifera (IWAF-8) meeting last September.  Before coming to UCL, Stefano completed his undergraduate studies with distinction (lode) at the University of Chieti and Pescara (Italy) with a dissertation in structural geology on the thrust-related-folds of the central-outer Apennines.

The prize was awarded to Stefano for the following achievement (quoting):  "The panel thought that this was an extremely well considered research project, demonstrating significant skills in microfossil taxonomy and identification and palaeoenvironmental interpretation. The panel also praised the presentation of the data, in particular the clarity and informative nature of the figures".  

The GA Curry Prizes for MSc Theses has established three prizes to be awarded each year to the three best MSc theses on a geological topic. GA invites the coordinators of each relevant MSc programme (about 40 in total in UK) to submit the best thesis of the year, and the best three will be given the prize. The award is used as a way to recruit enthusiastic young members who are training to enter the professions and academia. The prize, funded by the Curry Fund, includes a cheque for £1,000, together with a commemorative plaque and a year's complimentary membership of the Geologists' Association. GA also invites the winners to write a paper for the journal, Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, based around their findings. The presentation of the award takes place at the Geological Society of London, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London. The Geologists’ Association (GA) is the home of professional and amateur geology in the UK, acting as a forum for enthusiasts of all ages and representing the interests of geology at local and national levels. It recognizes the contributions of amateur and professional earth scientists through the award of medals, prizes, grants to students and researchers and through the Curry Fund, a trust fund supporting a wide range of geological initiatives.