Lee Allison began his career in the oil industry but soon transitioned to a career in public service. Before his life was tragically cut short in August 2016, Lee served with distinction as State Geologist in Utah, Kansas, and Arizona, successively. A dynamic and visionary leader and a gifted mentor, Lee combined innovative scholarship and consummate people skills with enthusiasm and optimism to drive his passion for making geologic information available to the public and for rendering it understandable. He was an articulate spokesman on scientific issues of societal importance and was dedicated to communicating their significance and impact in ways that resonated locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. As a measure of his far-reaching public service efforts, Lee was honored by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Association of Women Geologists, and the American Institute of Petroleum Geologists.

In recognition of his many contributions, the Arizona Geological Society Geosciences Scholarship was renamed in Lee’s honor following his death. Fittingly, the M. Lee Allison Scholarship is awarded to students who demonstrate exceptional achievement in pursuit of degrees in the earth sciences and who show balanced records exhibiting academic excellence, a passion for research, outstanding professional and general community involvement, and leadership in all of these areas.

For more details about this scholarship visit our Student Outreach Page.

Emilia Caylor

2023 M. Lee Allison Scholarship

I strive to earn my PhD studying the impact of tectonics on upper crustal processes, paleo-depositional environments, basin subsidence, and exhumation in Cordilleran-type orogenic systems. My passion for research and teaching have led me to pursue a tenured faculty position at a university upon graduating where I will aim to create a diverse research group of scientists and design curricula that lower barriers to geoscience education in the field and classroom. I am passionate about mentoring students from underrepresented groups in the Geosciences, drawing from my own experiences as a Hispanic woman in STEM and recognizing the significant impact of engaging with fellow scientists from diverse backgrounds. As a faculty member, I intend to expand upon the field accessibility initiatives I developed during my PhD, with the goal of enhancing accessibility in both academic and public communities.

I earned my B.S. at the University of Houston Downtown in 2017, and M.S. at the University of Arizona in 2019. Currently I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona. I have earned numerous awards and student research grants including: The Maria Teresa Velez Diversity Leadership Scholarship (2023), GSA Graduate Research Grant (2023, 2022), and Galileo Circle Scholarship (2022, 2021). In 2022, I was recognized by the UA College of Science for excellence in teaching within the Geoscience Department.

Bridgett Holman

2023 M. Lee Allison Scholarship

Bridgett Holman is currently in her second year pursuing a B.S. in Geosciences with a Geology Emphasis at the University of Arizona. Throughout her education, she has displayed academic excellence and active participation in service and community involvement. In addition to her research, she plans to continue these efforts in her higher education. 

Bridgett's research involves an experimental approach to understanding the mechanisms of nitrogen cycling through the deep earth. In order to do this, she runs high temperature and pressure experiments to simulate ultramafic-rich melanges in subduction zones. 

Once graduated, Bridgett aspires to attend graduate school and whether she continues her studies in petrology and subduction zones or pursues other disciplines, she hopes to be a part of a leading research group contributing to the field's understanding of our earth.