SEJ's 2015 David Stolberg Meritorious Service Award was presented to SEJ member Lana Straub during the 25th Annual Conference in Norman, Oklahoma, by SEJ president Jeff Burnside, during the Wednesday evening gala:

"Our Stolberg winner this year has been an absolute whirlwind of volunteer action since joining SEJ not so long ago. This member promotes SEJ far and wide, recruits new members, even pays their dues. Has never said no when asked to cover a task for SEJ, large or small, pulling together a conference session, helping out with the awards program, sharing news of opportunities to the listserv. But her signature contribution... Putting her passion for multimedia to work for SEJ recording and posting video of members talking about why they love this group, live streaming a session, running the conference App on Whova, organizing and Periscoping a road trip to this conference with a fellow member at her side.

"'I just want to try new things, let everybody know, don't be afraid to try new things,' she said just yesterday...

"Thank you Lana Straub, SEJ's 2015 Stolberg Award Winner, for fearless and selfless service to this community! Congratulations!"

Our Shale Country Institute took place in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York from June 24th through the 28th.

While we continued the “roving journalists” approach to this Institute, Shale Country focused entirely on one subject: Hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracking."

We discussed economics, ecology, and environmental toxicology. We heard about human health, water and air quality, and citizen science. And we got on the bus to meet with scientists, industry representatives, concerned citizens, and many others in the forests, fields and neighborhoods where these important stories are taking place.

Stops included:

• Buffalo, New York to talk about natural gas transport and pipelines,
• The Allegheny National Forest to discuss hydraulic fracturing on public lands,
• Sites near Youngstown, Ohio, where a recent spate of earthquakes led to a pause in fracking while authorities pinpoint the cause,
• The Finger Lakes of New York, where a contentious proposal is brewing to use abandoned salt mines for natural gas storage.

Honored for my article in the Water Well Journal "Competing with Home Improvement Stores" which was about the difficulty that family-owned service companies have when competing with the prices and convenience of home improvement stores such as Lowe's and Home Depot.  The article stressed the importance of selling your expertise over the do it yourself mentality.