Honors & Awards

Recognizing the incredible members of the global geothermal community, Geothermal Rising's honors and awards highlight passion, dedication, and innovation.
DID YOU KNOW?
Electricity generated by geothermal energy already provides about 60% of the power along the northern California coast.
2024 GRC Honors and Awards

The GRC Awards recognize distinguished colleagues in the geothermal community from around the world and have been a highlight of the geothermal calendar since the late 1970s.

The recipients of these awards have significant achievements in the geothermal academic, scientific, and commercial communities. The award winners will be recognized during the 2024 Geothermal Rising Conference (GRC) in Waikoloa, HI.

Scroll down for descriptions of the individual awards and lists of prior recipients.

Nomination form

Past Award Winners

Joseph W. Aidlin Award

Joseph W. Aidlin was a groundbreaking lawyer, who co-founded Magma Power Company, which went on to develop the first geothermal steam production for commercial electric power generation in the Western Hemisphere at The Geysers in California. Aidlin also co-founded the Geothermal Resources Council (GRC), now Geothermal Rising. Aidlin was a key leader in writing state and national legislation relating to geothermal resources, including drafting the world's first geothermal lease.

The Geothermal Rising President recognizes an individual who has helped they/them during their time in office, mentoring/supporting them in their role. This would be at the full discretion of the President.

2023 Jill Robinson Haizlip
2022 Andrew E. Sabin
2021 Jim Lovekin
2020 Jim Faulds
2019 Maria C. Richards
2018 Ron Barr
2017 Joseph N. Moore
2016 Anna Carter
2015 Gene Suemnicht
2014 Marilyn Nemzer
2013 Lucien Y. Bronicki
2012 R. Gordon Bloomquist
2011 Paul Brophy
2010 Marcelo Lippmann
2009 David Blackwell
2008 John Lund
2007 Philip Messer
2006 Philip M. Wright
2005 Daniel Schochet
2004 Joel L. Renner
2003 Sabodh K. Garg
2002 Louis E. Capuano, Jr.

2001 Marshall Reed
2000 Richard Campbell & Yuri Esaki
1999 Ben Holt
1998 Susan Hodgson
1997 Subir Sanyal
1996 Gerald Huttrer
1995 W.A.J. (Tony) Mahon
1994 John E. (Ted) Mock
1993 Jacob M. Rudisill
1992 John Rowley
1991 Don Falcone
1990 Harry Olson
1989 Jim Combs
1988 Patrick Muffler
1987 James B. Koenig
1986 Bob Greider
1985 Robert Fournier
1983 David N. Anderson
1982 William Byrd
1979 Joseph W. Aidlin

Geothermal Pioneer Award

Recognizes an outstanding achievement and contributions to the development of geothermal resources. This would recognize individuals with a dedicated service to the industry that has led the way for the rest of us.

2023 Tim Latimer
2022 Karen R. Christopherson
2021 Susan Petty
2020 Bill Rickard
2019 Leland “Roy” Mink
2018 Zvi Krieger
2017 James B. Koenig
2016 Wilfred Elders
2015 Alfredo Lahsen
2014 Joseph LaFleur
2013 Gustavo Cuéllar
2012 Tsuneo Ishido & Darrell L. Gallup
2011 Trevor M. Hunt
2010 John Pritchett
2009 Patrick Browne & Joe Moore
2008 Stuart Johnson & Dick Benoit
2007 Paul Hirtz
2006 Tsvi Mediav
2005 John Featherstone
2004 Carl F. Austin
2003 Luis F. De Ande Flores
2002 Alfred Truesdell

2001 Gary Shulman
2000 Gerardo Hiriart
1999 Peter Cartwright
1998 Larry Jones
1997 Paul Lienau & John Lund
1996 Dita and Lucien Bronick
1995 H. Christopher Armstead
1994 Henry J. Ramey, Jr.
1994 Joseph W. Aidlin
1993 James McNitt
1992 Ben Holt
1991 Comision Federal de Electricidad (Mexico)
1990 Japan Metals &Chemical Co., Inc.
1989 ENEL (Electric Energy Authority of Italy)
1988 Gunnar Bodvarsson & Johannes Zoega
1987 Donald White
1986 Carl Otte
1985 New Zealand DSIR & Ministry of Works
1983 Giancarlo Facca
1982 Reid Stone
1980 B.C. McCabe

Henry J. Ramey, Jr. Geothermal Reservoir Engineering Award

Henry “Hank” J. Ramey, Jr. was a pioneer in the development of geothermal resources, working as a Professor of Petroleum Engineering in the School of Earth Sciences at Stanford University, where he taught and conducted research for 27 years. Ramey conducted the first steam well test at The Geysers geothermal field in California and helped to establish the Stanford Geothermal Program in 1972.

Recognizes outstanding achievement in subsurface geoscience and engineering and impacts on geothermal development.

2023 Joseph Moore
2022 Ghazal Izadi
2021 Henry Johnston
2019 Dennis Kaspereit
2018 Peter Rose
2017 Sabodh K. Garg
2016 John Pritchett
2015 Thomas Kohl
2014 Anthony (Tony) J. Menzies

2013 Subir K. Sanyal
2011 Michael J. O’Sullivan
2010 Malcolm Grant
2009 Cal Stroebel
2008 Ladislaus Rybach
2007 Karsten Pruess
2006 Roland N. Horne

Ben Holt Geothermal Power Plant Award

Ben Holt was an engineer who worked to develop commercial-scale geothermal power plants. In the 1980s, Holt’s firm, Ben Holt Co., designed and built one of the nation’s first binary geothermal plants at Mammoth Lakes, California.

This award recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of geothermal power plant design and construction, direct use, and other surface utilization focusing on innovation.

2023 John R. Avery
2022 Monte C. Morrison
2021 Kevin Wallace
2019 William Harvey
2017 Kevin Kitz
2016 Dan Hoyer
2015 Robert Tucker
2014 John R. Brugman

2013 Kenneth A. Phair
2011 Nobuhiko Hara
2010 Bill Lewis
2009 Richard Campbell
2007 Ronald DiPippo
2006 Kenneth Nichols

Geothermal Special Achievement Award

Recognizes special or outstanding achievement in any aspect of geothermal energy development and related areas.

2023 HEET
2022 Karl Urbank
2021 Douglas Blankenship
2020 Daniela Blessent and Ladislaus Rybach
2019 Vincent J. Signorotti and Bruce Levy
2018 Roy Baria, Virgil Welch and Kasumi Yasukawa
2017 Dennis J. Gilles, Elizabeth Johnson, Joseph "Skip" Matlick, Mack Kennedy
2016 Dale Merrick, Paul Spielman, Aroha Campbell
2015 Roland Horne, Ryuichi Itoi and Al Waibel
2014 Colin Goranson, Jill Robinson Haizlip & Ann Robertson-Tait
2013 Ingvar Birgir Fridleifsson, Doone Wyborn, Connie and Bernie Karl, & William Cumming
2012 Doug Powell, Jack A. Frost, Ahmad Ghassemi, & Patrick Dobson
2011 Greg Mines, Joseph J. Beall & Jefferson W. Tester
2010 Toni Boyd & Steve Enedy
2009 Tom Box, Jim Lovekin, & Roy Mink
2008 Gordon Bloomquist
2007 Karl Gawell

2006 Jeffrey Hulen & Charlene Wardlow
2005 Orhan Metroglu, Joseph Moore, John Sass, & Mike Shook
2004 David D. Blackwell and Marnell Dickson
2003 Tsuneo Ishido, Douglas Jung, Tom Champness, & Luis Guiterrez Negrin
2002 Enrico Barbier, Richard Hoops, & Russell James
2001 Sabodh Garg, Marcelo Lippmann, Eugene Premuzic, & Luis Quijano
2000 John Pritchett, Dan Schochet, Bob Sullivan, & Franco Tonani
1999 Dick Benoit, Gene Culver, Tsvi Meidav, & P. Michael Wright
1998 Angus Brodie, David Glowka, Harry Veizades, & Tatsuo Yamasaki
1997 Jack Adrian, Mark Dellinger, & Nazario Vasquez
1995 George A. Frye
1993 Derek Freeston, Geo-Heat Center, & Marilyn Nemzer
1991 Bob Forest & John E. (Ted) Mock

Outstanding Research Award

Recognizes excellence in research and potential impact on the geothermal industry

2023 Toshimfumi Sugama
2022 Patrick Dobson
2021 Chad Augustine
2020 Bridget Ayling

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Champion Award

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Champion Award recognizes individuals creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for historically excluded groups in the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), especially those in which geothermal is a key factor.

2023 Johanna Ostrum
2022 Caity Smith

Young Professional Award (Leadership)

Recognizes young innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and up and coming leaders, under the age of 35, who have had an impact on the geothermal community. This would recognize individuals who have devoted significant time, effort, thought and action that has resulted in meaningful impact to the Geothermal Rising organization and the geothermal industry.

2023 Sarah Jewett
2022 Moones Alamooti

Young Professional Award (Applied Research)

Recognizes young innovators and researchers, under the age of 35, whose applied research contributions have helped advance knowledge and innovation in the geothermal industry or geothermal community.

2023 Anna Rogers
2022 Nicole Taverna

Young Professional Award

Prior to 2022, no differentiation was made between Leadership and Technical accomplishments in the Young Professional Awards.

2021 Jack Norbeck
2020 Angel Monroy