West Virginia University professor Samuel Ameri was recently named the 2007 Oil and Gas Man of the Year.

Ameri is chair and professor of the WVU Department of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.

He will be honored with a plaque during a luncheon at the historical First Presbyterian Church on W.Va. Route 2 and Charles Street during the 39th annual West Virginia Oil and Gas Festival in Sistersville Saturday, Sept. 15, said Barbara Vincent, secretary-treasurer of the festivals board of directors.

He also will serve as grand marshal of the festival parade that morning. The festival runs Sept. 13-16.

Ameri was nominated for the award by the Independent Oil and Gas Association of West Virginia, Inc. (IOGA West Virginia), Vincent said, and the nomination was approved this summer by the festival board.

The festival is a member of the IOGA �€a statewide non-profit trade association representing companies engaged in the extraction and production of natural gas and oil in West Virginia, as well as the companies and individuals which support extraction activities.

We are pleased to honor professor Ameri for his outstanding contributions to the oil and gas industry,Vincent said.

It is good to see professor Ameri receive recognition for all of his hard work,said Gene Cilento, Glen H. Hiner dean of the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.He is a valued member of our faculty with an impressive list of accomplishments, and we are grateful to have him leading this important department.

Ameri received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in petroleum engineering from WVU and is a registered professional engineer in West Virginia.

He has performed 30 years of distinguished service in industry and academia, with in-depth experience in the fossil energy areas, particularly natural gas and oil production.

Ameri has developed a high-quality research program in the area of oil and gas recovery and has compiled an outstanding record of publications across a wide spectrum of oil and gas issues.

He has taught well log interpretation graduate and undergraduate courses for the past 30 years and is a consultant on the subject, with extensive experience in formation evaluation. He has been selected as an outstanding teacher by his students on numerous occasions.

Ameri is active in the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) on the national and state levels, serving as a member of the program committee for the 2007 SPE Eastern Regional Conference and Exhibition. He has served on the SPE Education and Accreditation Committee and was chair of department heads of petroleum engineering schools in the United States and the SPE United States Council.

In addition, Ameri has chaired the WVU Athletic Council and Student Instruction Committee, and he continues to serve as the faculty advisor to the WVU SPE Student Chapter. He is an ABET accreditation evaluator and serves on the 2007 Advisory Board for World Oil Awards.