EAGE NEWSLETTER
STUDENTS
Issue 1 2015
Reflections on our Australian debut Hon Prof Peter Lloyd.
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eter Lloyd, co-chair, EAGE Student Affairs Committee, reports on the EAGE student programmes at the ASEG/ PESA 24th International Geophysical Conference and Exhibition in Perth, Western Australia, and the lead up to Madrid 2015. We came, we quizzed, we partnered! Maybe not quite as dramatic as Caesar’s words after his Pontic triumphs, but EAGE’s first foray into Australasia nevertheless felt as if it had been planned with almost military precision. Though instead of taking prisoners, we made friends. ASEG and PESA put on one of the best conferences in Perth that I have ever attended anywhere, in terms of the quality of the technical sessions and the level of engagement in the exhibition hall. It was a privilege for EAGE to be involved and to contribute as part of the conference’s student outreach programme, which also included mentoring, mock interviews and career talks.
Win a prize with the correct answer! Who will kick off with an inspirational talk during the Student Chapter Meeting on 4 June in Madrid? Send your answer to students@eage.org and receive one of of our selected books for free!
The University of Western Australia won the honours at the EAGE Geo-Quiz night facilitated by our EAGE Asia Pacific Office team, headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Twenty teams, from 10 universities across the continent, faced off under the ‘Southern Cross’ for a wonderful open-air evening event. The victors were decided on the very last question, winning by a margin of just two points from a possible 1000. Nail-biting stuff! The winning WA team will now head to Madrid for the Annual Conference in June and compete against previous Geo-Quiz champions like Imperial College, Heriot Watt University and Institut Francais du Petrol (IFP). As winners, their travel, accommodation and conference fees will be sponsored by the EAGE. Special thanks to Adrian Noetzli and his Perth committee for helping compose 50 excellent questions, and encouraging so many strong university teams to compete. And that was not all we had to celebrate. We welcome Aaron Girard as our new Australasian representative on the Student Affairs Committee, and Dr Gaynor Paton has kindly agreed to be our new student lecturer for the 2015-2016 tours of Australasia and the Far East. With EAGE student representation and programmes in the America’s, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Russia, India, China, the Far East and now Australasia, we might be tempted to say that the SAC has now joined that elite group ‘upon whom the sun never sets’. I have to confess that I thought this was a Churchillian saying about the Brits in the late 1800s, but the basic idea appears to have come from Herodotus’ Histories, Xerxes and the Persian invasion of Europe in 480 BC (Georg Buechmann, 1864). So let’s not get too carried away, and be reminded that pride goes before the fall (as it certainly did with Read more on page 2 ➤
Madrid 2015 Student Programme is made for you!
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y June, the academic year will be winding down for students. But before the summer break, don’t forget to attend the Student Programme at the EAGE Annual Conference on 1-4 June in Madrid. This will provide a perfect opportunity to network and expand your geoscience horizons. The technical programme consists of student poster presentations, a field trip on Monday exploring the Spanish Central System, motivational speeches on Tuesday and Thursday and a series of short courses on Tuesday and Wednesday. Over the years, the student short courses and workshops have become an integral part of the Student Programme. For the 77th
EAGE Conference and Exhibition in Madrid, we will continue this tradition with the organization of three student short courses, on Tuesday 2 June and Wednesday 3 June. On Tuesday, students can participate in the courses on ‘Tectonics-Sedimentation Relations’ presented by Josep Poblet (Universidad de Oviedo) and ‘Potential Fields Methods for Hydrocarbon Exploration’ presented Read more on page 2 ➤
What's inside Role for students in Uganda 3 Life as a geoscience blogger 7 Chapters in Russia and Turkey Industry News And more...
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EAGE UPDATE
Reflections on our Australian debut Continued from p.1.
Xerxes at Thermopylae and the Battle of Salamis shortly thereafter). I’d also like to report that we have selected our six finalists for the EAGE FIELD Challenge, another flag ship initiative for students with the finals also at the Annual Conference in Madrid. We had a record number of 47 entries from all around the world, for this year’s essay ’Professionalism: what it means and why it is critical to the oil and gas business’. And I am delighted to say that only a handful failed the ‘plagiarism’ screening we always conduct. The line up for the finals will be: • China University of Petroleum (Beijing) • University of Barcelona (Spain) • Dalhousie University (Canada) • OMSK State Technical University (Russia) • Heriot-Watt University (Dubai) • AGH University of Science and Technology (Poland) The regional spread for the final line-up was not ‘engineered’, it reflects the quality of entries we had from around the world.
EAGE Student Newsletter Student Affairs Committee Peter Lloyd chair Sylvie Grimaud Co-chair (Total) Anne Jardin (IFP Energies Nouvelles) Giancarlo Bernasconi (Politecnico di Milano) Ibrahim Mohammad (Schlumberger) Leon Barens (Total E&P Nederland) Roger Clark (University of Leeds) Claudia Steiner-Luckabauer (HOT Engineering GmbH) Vladislav Kuznetov (Novatek NTC) Mario Sigismondi (YPF Argentina) Publications & Communications Manager Marcel van Loon (ml@eage.org) Student Affairs Coordinator Kirsten Brandt (kbt@eage.org) Publications Coordinator Laura van Kal (lkl@eage.org) Account Manager Advertising Peter Leitner (plr@eage.org) Production Co Productions bv (contact@coproductions.nl) EAGE Head Office E-mail: eage@eage.org, students@eage.org Website: www.eage.org
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The essays were of excellent quality and touched on a broad range of pertinent issues. Ideas ranged from introducing a hippocratic oath to be sworn on entering our profession, to having measurable standards of competence, to simpler things like dressing neatly in the office and being respectful to one’s co-workers. Case studies were delved into and one team conjured up a mythical character to reinforce the principles of ethics and professionalism. References were made to several recent disasters which might (indeed, almost certainly would) have been avoided had the players adopted a more professional approach when interacting, communicating and making decisions. We, the judg-
es, were very impressed with what we read, but (as always happens in life) there is always that nagging concern. Will we all be tough enough to ‘walk the talk’ when things become difficult. And that brings me back to Perth. Despite the oil price, company restructuring, cost controls and inevitably so many fearful for their jobs, the professional attitude was simply superb. Everyone I talked to had a positive attitude, putting on a bright face and the technical presentations were excellent. The grittiness and determination for which Australians have become renowned shone through with real dignity. And one saw it in the more recent arrivals working in the business. It is indeed infectious. Thanks again ASEG/ PESA for this wonderful conference and inviting EAGE to become part of the professional scene in Australasia.
Madrid 2015 Student Programme is made for you! Continued from p.1.
by Adriana Mantilla-Pimiento and Lorenzo Cascone, both from Repsol. On Wednesday afternoon the course by Marcos Gallego (ERM) course on ‘Environmental Impact and Exploration’ will conclude this year’s series of student short courses. The courses during the Annual are not your average academic seminar. The international nature of the conference and exhibition itself, as well as the instructors on offer, allow students to engage on topics in a variety of fields whilst working together with peers from all over the world. This creates a special environment in which you can share your own expertise and local knowledge with that of your co-workers whilst collaborating on group exercises. By doing so, you will not only learn other approaches to existing problems, but also gain an understanding on different ways of reasoning. One of the course presenters Adriana Mantilla-Pimiento explains the rationale: ‘These kind of short courses are perfectly designed to introduce students to the real professional world and expose them to the most innovative technologies and methods used in the industry. In addition, they are an excellent opportunity for the students to start building a professional network. Students should be involved in the EAGE Madrid ´15 Student Programme because it is a very good opportunity to get in touch
Students on a tour of EAGE exhibition area.
for the first time with the industry and the career interests of companies through a very friendly and attractive programme, in which they may feel comfortable. There is a team specifically preparing different activities to make the EAGE Madrid 2015 Student Programme, a motivating and inspiring experience that could help students to set their goals.’ Although the technical programme is obviously the essence of the Student Programme, the Student Evening on Tuesday 2 June is not to be forgotten either! The reoccurring Recruitment Café will also be at the Student Court this year, providing students with an excellent chance to meet the representatives of our sponsors: Total, Repsol, Statoil, ExxonMobil, and the EAGE Student Fund (including Shell). If you want to attend one or several of the short courses or one of the other Student Programme highlights, make sure you take a look at the website (www.eage.org/ event/madrid-students-2015), and don’t forget to register for the conference! We are looking forward to welcoming you to Madrid this June.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS
ISSUE 1 2015
STUDENT CHAPTERS
Students discuss their potential role in Uganda’s developing oil and gas sector
Left-right: Kamugisha Dickens (CEO, AFIEGO), Musasizi Josephat (EAGE SC Makerere University president), Tiberindwa John Vianney (head of department, Makerere University Department of Geology and Petroleum Studies), Mawanda Michael, MP, Onduri Fred (Commissioner for Youth and Children Affairs, Ministry of Gender, Gabor and Social Development), Peter Magelah (research officer, Advocate Coalition for Development and Environment).
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he first EAGE-supported workshop on the role of young people in Uganda’s oil sector was held last November at the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology, Kampala, Uganda. The workshop was part of a continuing dialogue with university students by the Africa Institute for Energy Governanace (AFIEGO), a public policy research and advocacy non-governmental organization (NGO) in Uganda. The NGO is trying to ensure young people are at the forefront of the discourse in the oil sector. The workshop aimed at creating awareness that only through active youth participation will the dream of a better Uganda, with more people gainfully employed, better schools, better health services, transport and energy systems with improved quality of life, become a reality. The workshop on ‘Creating effective nationwide youth demand for good governance in Uganda’s oil sector’ was organized by the EAGE Student Chapter of Makerere University (EAGE Mak SC), in partnership with Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO). It brought together university students pursuing petroleum and geosciences courses, guild presidents from major universities, student leaders of the Kigumba Petroleum Institute, heads of oil courses at various tertiary institutions, oil companies, government officials in the petroleum sector and civil society organisations. Musasizi Josephat, founding president of EAGE Mak SC, encouraged students on oil and gas and related courses to take the advantage of EAGE and its networking possibilities for their career development, and to consider working abroad. Dickens Kamugisha, CEO of AFIEGO, said the workshop was an important step towards ensuring active youth participation and demand for transparency and accountability in the management and utilization of oil
revenues. It could also help influence the ongoing process of developing a local content policy for the oil and gas sector in Uganda. He encouraged his audience to be focused on the human rights and accountability problems in Uganda’s oil sector where over $1 billion so far collected in Capital Gains Tax (CGT) and signature bonuses have never been accounted for. Michael Mawanda, MP, vice chairperson, Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Oil and Gas, said local content meant ‘building a workforce that is skilled or creating small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) and offering products and services locally’. He acknowledged the contribution of some of the oil companies in helping youth acquire expertise in the oil field. However, he cautioned young people not to look only at the direct jobs but consider ancillary work. Peter Magelah, a researcher on law, human rights and governance in the oil and gas sector, identified the country’s unemployment problem and advised attention to be paid to local content policy. He also called for increased funding for Kigumba Petroleum Institute to facilitate quality education that can enable locals to compete for the oil jobs. Didas Muhumuza from Tullow Oil told participants how over 20 young men and women receive scholarships to study Master’s courses in oil and gas related programmes, which he cited as a major contribution to the local content policy. Fred Onduri, a commissioner for youth in the Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development addressed climate change issues. With oil production underway, there was a need for youth to ensure an environmentally friendly oil industry.
Onduri Fred handing over a gift from EAGE Mak SC to Dr Tiberindwa John
Dickens Kamugisha, CEO of AFIEGO, opening the workshop at Makerere
Vianney of Makerere University.
University.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS
ISSUE 1 2015
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EAGE UPDATE
Clash of brain titans at EAGE Geo-Quiz in Perth
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ho would be savvy enough to win an all expenses-paid trip to EAGE’s Annual Event in Madrid? That’s what we wanted to find out at the EAGE Geo-Quiz for the Asia Pacific region, held during the ASEG-PESA 24th International Geophysical Conference and Exhibition in Perth, Western Australia, held from 15-18 February. Some 60 student warriors turned out, all determined to harness their brain power and finger reflexes to win the coveted honour of representing Australia in the Global EAGE Geo-Quiz at the Annual Meeting in June. This exciting competition, headed by Peter Lloyd, chairman of the EAGE Student Affairs Committee and charismatic quizmaster, succeeded in rousing the warrior spirit of the teams. After a tough battle decided by a last buzzerbeating question, the team from University of Western Australia were declared the winners. The team of Lee Tasker, Benjamin Witten and Aaron Girard (University of Western Australia) took home the special travel grants sponsored by EAGE to attend the 77th EAGE Conference & Exhibition in Madrid. Special thanks goes to Adrian Noetzli, geophysicist for GPX Surveys and local volunteers from ASEG for their invaluable support. The venue and student social events were sponsored by ASEG.
After the competition we asked the winners about their ‘quiz battle’ experiences. How did you form such a great winning team together? Aaron: We worked in the same group together and we are actually representing the UWA student chapter together. How did you prepare and train for the Geo-Quiz? Ben: The training is basically a lifetime of training. Geoscience classes and studying geophysics were the key, but we just tried to stay relaxed and keep our minds limber. Lee: Basically, we tried to get into a relaxed mode and enjoy ourselves. That is exactly what we did. Believe it or not, we turned up trumps! What is your advice for future teams who want to take part in the Geo-Quiz? Benjamin: If you are interested in geoscience, just come and participate. I think all the teams enjoyed themselves. Aaron: My advice for any future team is ‘you know a lot more than you think you know’. There will always be some questions you are going to know and some questions you are going to learn from.
Lee: Everything you’ve ever done in earth science can be applicable to the domain. Even if you are not a geologist or a hydrocarbon person, it doesn’t matter. Just believe in yourself and everything will work out for this quiz. Do you think you stand a chance to win the Global Geo-Quiz in Spain? Lee: We have come this far. Why not? Aaron: I think it’s a great opportunity to represent Australia. I think we will do equally as well if we prepare in advance. My motto is ‘just relax and think as little as possible’. Ben: We will represent UWA and Australia well. We feel like we are the best team and we are going to Madrid to win it all.
From left to right: Aaron Girard, Bejamin Witten and Lee Tasker (University of Western Australia), Professor Peter Lloyd and Adrian Noetzli.
Young Scientist Prize on offer at SES conference
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here is a prize waiting to be won by a young scientist in connection with the Third Sustainable Earth Science Conference & Exhibition (SES 2015), which takes place from 15-18 October in Celle, Germany. This special event is being organized by EAGE in cooperation with CO2GeoNet and ENERG. Building on the success of the first SES conference in Valencia, Spain (2011) and the second SES conference in Pau, France (2013), the conference aims to create a platform for geoscientists to meet, learn and discuss ‘Use of the Sub-surface to serve the Energy Transition’. To meet the challenges of energy transition, the view is that the geosciences must play an increasingly important role in the sustainable use of the Earth and its resources, and in the conservation of our environment. In order to stimulate the work done by the future leaders in this field, EAGE is hosting a special competition in which we will present the Young Scientists Prize to the best paper presented by a young professional. EAGE wants to continue encouraging further innovation in sustain-
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able earth sciences. A prize of €1000 will be awarded to one young scientist who submits and presents a paper at the next Sustainable Earth Sciences Conference (SES 2015). EAGE invites young professionals to submit papers on the the topic ‘Innovation in Sustainable Earth Sciences’ for the Young Scientist competition. To be eligible for the prize the lead author must be a fulltime student or young professional and under the age of 35 (by the end of the calendar year of the conference). Submit your paper before 15 March 2015! The subject matter of the nominated oral or poster submission should include an innovative approach to sustainable use of Earth resources within any of the conference topics (e.g. CO2 storage, geothermal energy, deep-Earth storage, or other related topics). Papers on relevant breakthrough technology or research not clearly defined in the call for papers are also welcome. The winner will be announced during SES 2015. Students can attend SES 2015 at a discount! If you have any questions, please contact us at ses@eage.org.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS
ISSUE 1 2015
INTERVIEW
Becoming a geoscientist: the journey so far Chiara Aruffo is a PhD student at the Institute for Applied Geosciences at Technische Universität Darmstadt, soon to be looking for a full-time job in the oil and gas industry. EAGE asked her about her job hunting experiences and how she sees the future. Mini bio Chiara has a Bachelor’s degree in geological sciences and a Master’s degree in field and resources geology from Roma Tre University, Italy. She was an Erasmus student during her Master studies in exploration geophysics/structural geology with geophysics at the University of Leeds. Her work experience has included an internship at the Operational Centre For Volcanic Hazards, Italian Civil Protection, Rome; seismic interpretation with Bayfield Energy, UK; internship at the Reservoir Geomechanics Centre of Excellence, Bracknell UK (Schlumberger); and numerical modelling of seismic sections for Petrobras at Roma Tre University. What is your current student/work situation I am about to conclude a three-year contract as a PhD candidate at TU Darmstadt, waiting to defend my thesis in the near future. I have been working on a project about CO2 storage in cooperation with an Australian consortium. Why did you choose the oil and gas industry? This derives mainly from the Erasmus exchange I had at University of Leeds, where courses are strongly focused on the oil and gas industry. I was immediately attracted by the many applications of geology and the cutting edge techniques for oil and gas exploration and production. The real breakthrough was the internship I did last year at Schlumberger, where I had the opportunity to see how oil and gas professionals work: it was impressive and now I am sure this is the path I want to follow. What is your particular geo expertise? I hold a Masters in petroleum geology and my PhD thesis is in reservoir geomechanics, a relatively new topic for the oil and gas industry.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS
Otherwise I am interested in everything related to numerical modelling, for example reservoir engineering. What is your career vision? My vision is to become a technical leader in my area of expertise, thus contributing to improving the production of natural resources in terms of safety awareness and economic sustainability. How hard do you think it will be to find a job in the current economic climate? It is not easy at this particular time as companies tend to hire experience people. Only a few graduate programmes were launched this year and some of these have been withdrawn, making it that more challenging for a new graduate to find a job. Currently, more than ever, it is essential not to give up, keep looking and try to stand out from the crowd. How do you go about job-seeking? I use Linkedin quite intensively because most of the companies advertise their openings there. I also constantly monitor websites of companies that do not use Linkedin for recruiting. Networking is also fundamental: it allows you to have direct insights into the companies and to have first-hand information about new positions. Do you have many friends/colleagues also looking for work? I do have some friends actively looking for a job, we share tips and support each other in our research. It is a great help to have this opportunity, we keep our motivation up! Is there a back-up plan if things don’t pan out as you hoped? I am confident that this downtime for oil and gas industry will be over soon, leading to a more active job market. In the meantime, I want to focus on improving my skills. I recently decided to learn how to code and I see it as an investment for the future. Have you been involved in any EAGE student activities? I participated in student activities during the
ISSUE 1 2015
Chiara Aruffo.
last two EAGE Conferences & Exhibitions in London and Amsterdam. It is very fun and also an outstanding opportunity to network with both students and professionals. Thanks to dedicated workshops, students can increase their knowledge. Are the EAGE recruitment fair/job centre and other recruitment initiatives at annual meetings useful? I particularly appreciate the opportunity to have trial interviews with companies. It gives a good indication about real interview expectations and skills that companies are looking for. The job centre represents a useful source of information concerning the recruitment activity of companies. Is there more that the Association could do for students? EAGE is already doing a very good job for students. I really appreciate the Recruitment Special and it would be great to increase the number of issues per year and to include opinions from new graduate-level employees. What would your advice be to a student starting out on a geo degree/career? I strongly believe that hard work is the fundamental requirement to achieve success. I encourage every student to get involved in activities proposed by associations such as EAGE, build a solid network and always look for new learning opportunities.
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EAGE UPDATE
Make sure you are at the Student Chapter meeting in Madrid new Chapters ending up in the top three. We are looking forward to an exciting competition in which anything is possible!
EAGE Student Chapters around the world.
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AGE is proud of its rapidly growing number of Student Chapters. Did you know that EAGE had 27 Student Chapters on a global scale last year, and already this year we are up to 43 either new and resubscribed Student Chapters! We plan to celebrate this growth of almost 60% during the 77th EAGE Conference & Exhibition in Madrid from 1-4 June, where we intend to give the stage to our Student Chapters. On Thursday 4 June from 3-5.30 p.m., a Student Chapter meeting will be held on the Exhibition floor. It will kick off with an inspirational talk by Jean Gérard (Repsol) about ‘The Role of Students in Collaboration between Academia and Industry’. Gérard intends to explain why such collaboration is beneficial to all geoscientists - academia, industry personnel and students. In his professional life Gérard is currently working as an advisor in clastic sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy and seismic stratigraphy for Repsol, providing expertise to all the company’s exploration projects. The EAGE Student Chapter Meeting will be the perfect opportunity for Chapters, company
professionals, Student Affairs Committee members, EAGE staff, and other interested delegates to mingle and network. Another opportunity to promote activities will be the Student Chapter Wall, in the Student Court on the Exhibition floor. This is where you can showcase what your chapter has done, what the vision is and what activities are being planning for the future. Best Student Chapter prize up for grabs Who will receive the illustrious title of ‘Best Student Chapter’, along with a €2000 voucher to spend on Chapter activities? We will find out the answer during the EAGE Student Chapter Meeting in Madrid when the winner will be announced. Current holder of the title is Imperial College London but they will be facing stiff opposition to repeat, from among others last year’s runners up, SGS Potsdam and Berlin and Bucharest Universities, and also third-placed Heriot-Watt and Suez Universities. Then again, we may see
And there’s more at the Annual Meeting … EAGE provides Student Chapters with some other exciting opportunities during the Annual Meeting. Each year, we organize the Online Geo-Quiz for Student Chapters only. The three winning teams are given the opportunity to send three of their Chapter members to the EAGE Conference & Exhibition! EAGE would like to congratulate the three winning Chapters of this years’ Online Geo-Quiz: Dalhousie University (Canada), Heriot-Watt University (UK) and SGS Berlin & Potsdam (Germany)! EAGE advises Chapters on how to organize workshops, conferences or field trips and even provide them with technical content (lectures, activities) if necessary. Leaders of tomorrow need many more skills than only technical knowledge learned during the study. Being part of an EAGE Student Chapter helps in developing those other ‘soft’ skills.
No EAGE Student Chapter at your university yet? Become a Student Chapter and receive 15 free memberships! Please send an e-mail to the Student Affairs Coordinator at students@eage.org to receive more information about the benefits of being a Student Chapter and how to get started.
Student Programme 1-4 June 2015 EDUCATION - RECRUITMENT - NETWORKING - ENTERTAINMENT 77th EAGE Conference & Exhibition
MADRID 2015
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EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS
ISSUE 1 2015
INTERVIEW
Blogging his way through geoscience studies Jesper Dramsch is building a fan base for Way of the Geophysicist, his regular blog (dramsch.net) on his experience in the geoscience community to date. Topics include discussion of science, as well as some more philosophical and personal thoughts. Jesper is a Master student at Hamburg University currently with a student assignment at O+P Geotechnik, Hamburg. His work experience to date also includes internships with Fugro Seismic Imaging and Schlumberger. What inspired you to start a blog? My initial idea was to share my internship experience with Fugro Seismic Imaging (FSI). Soon this transitioned into writing about geo-related topics I found interesting, especially, when I had to work my way into and do the research; those were articles I liked. Getting into the habit of writing has helped me immensely in my studies. Who is your target audience? I write from the perspective of a grad student. Essentially it’s a mix of people studying geoscience, young professionals and seniors that are interested in the views of those just starting into the world of geoscience. What kind of feedback to you get? There’s a wide variety of feedback. In my comment section and on Twitter I get some responses. One of my articles has been published in a book 52 things you should know about geophysics (Eds. Matt Hall and Evan Bianco, Agile Geoscience). Some of my fellow students even bought the book. At Schlumberger I got an email from someone higher up in the company, who struck up a conversation about my latest post. All in all, I received very positive feedback. Are there many other student/postgrad geo-bloggers out there, or many in the industry as a whole? In my experience, there are quite a few geobloggers. However, it appears to me that there are exceptionally few student bloggers. Although it serves as great exposition to new topics and a wider audience, I often hear about a lack of confidence about publishing on the world wide web. Have you had any comments from your employers and work colleagues? In fact there have been many comments from fellow students about articles. As I mentioned
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS
before, there was even an email conversation about an article I published with a colleague. Another nice moment was at an interview with OMV, where we got into a conversation about my article in a book and subsequently my blog. What do your family and partner think about the blog? They’re happy I do something that I like. Generally, it’s a nice way for them to keep up with current topics I work with and think about. I know some of the more technologically inclined are even following my blog. What are your favourite contributions to the blog so far? I have written a piece on moss billboards to filter dirt particles for my Facebook page ‘The Earth Story’, which I also shared on my blog. Of course, my more philosophical post ‘Is working in O&G amoral?’ is high on the list, as it was printed in a book. Are there any disadvantages to maintaining a blog, e.g. a lot of time? It does take some dedication and time to write a blog, but it’s less than one might think. Something that is much worse is the so-called ‘imposter syndrome’. Every time I hit ‘publish’ on my blog, I wait for the huge outcry of knowledgeable people to call me out for my blunders. But fortunately, this has yet to happen. It’s also a hobby at my own expense. There’s no money in it for me. However, the desire to travel to the amazing sites I write about grows with every word I put out there. How do you feel about being so open about your life on the Internet? I don’t feel that this blog is revealing too much. It’s an awesome opportunity to connect with interesting people and learn a whole lot about Earth in the process. I’ve grown up in a digital generation and was taught early on that you should be careful what you put out on the internet. Will you always keep a blog - is it an addiction?! At least I will try. I think I’m contributing to something, a body of science communication and if there’s just one person thinking ‘oh that’s cool’, that counts as a victory. In a sense, yes,
ISSUE 1 2015
Jesper Dramsch.
it is a bit addicting, making me very happy but without the nasty downsides. Can you briefly describe your schooling and career so far? I started very early. In school I took part in statewide science fairs, ranging in topics from ‘Why do we take desert sand for hour glasses?’ to ‘Do volcanic and seismologic activity correlate at Mt Etna’. During graduation year I started taking university classes in geophysics. I continued to do a Bachelor of Science and then went on to do my Master’s degree in geophysics. I stretched the Master’s degree out to take two semesters of additional courses in geology and organized two internships in Oslo, Norway and London. Right now I’m finishing my Master’s thesis in seismic subsalt imaging. What is your career vision? I would love a challenging position that enables me to continuously broaden my horizon and see the world. I have worked in seismic interpolation and would love to continue working in seismic or gather more experience in interpretation in the O&G sector. Do you get involved in EAGE events, local chapters, etc? I held a poster presentation at the EAGE about my Bachelor’s thesis and enjoyed the events of the student chapter very much. During the GAP, the international student geophysics event in Germany hosting 150 or so people, we had the EAGE as a sponsor. I was involved as a main organizer and in rescuing the EAGE booth that got lost in shipping! I also took part in the GeoQuiz but Krakow won. Apart from that I was looking into the EAGE Geophysics Boot Camp this year.
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STUDENT CHAPTERS
Paris’ largest scientific university endorses student chapter initiative
First conference about geoscience careers. Speaker (standing right) is Brice Lecampion, Schlumberger.
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ierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC), as Paris’ largest scientific university, gathers a huge diversity of background, nationalities and geoscience specialties, writes Mathieu Le Breton, president of UPMC Geosciences new student chapter. The recently founded chapter helps us as students to work together, strengthen networking, and help to making decisions on future careers. We run team projects around geosciences.
EAGE was the motivator for submitting a FIELD Challenge essay and two abstracts on university research-related acquisition and interpretation projects. In addition, professionals from CGG, Schlumberger, GDF Suez and IFP School kindly agreed to give talks about their jobs. Students love these professional presentations. Later this year we will organize more professional talks as well as join the Madrid EAGE Annual Meeting to present our projects, meet
professionals and get industry insights. We are also creating a sponsoring programme between young professionals and final-year students. Finally, since we are mostly Masters second year students, it will be challenging to gather next year’s team. Christian Camerlynck, coordinator of the applied geophysics Masters programme, and official advisor of the student chapter, says that ‘learning to be a team player geophysicist is not just developed in academic programmes, often too focused on technical skill achievement. Extracurricular activities such as the chapter are able to fill a gap.’ Roger Guérin, head of Polytech Paris-UPMC Earth Sciences Engineering department, says ‘UPMC geosciences Masters gives students geoscientific knowledge, while the student chapter improves their geoscientific skills, such as building projects in teams or increasing their network. This combination of skills and knowledge gives them the needed know-how to work in geosciences’.
Students start Malaysian university chapter
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grand opening of the recently established student chapter at PETRONAS University of Technology (UTP) was held recently in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, officiated by EAGE Asia Pacific regional manager, Gerard Wieggerink. Around 20 undergraduate students founded the chapter, currently led by Lee Ming Xiang with the help of other students who have taken up different roles in the chapter organization. The chapter is being advised by two geoscience lecturers, Abdul Halim and Siti Nur Fathiyah Jamaludin. The vision of the student body is to promote the development and application of geosciences and related engineering subjects, particularly in UTP’s Geoscience Faculty. The UTP chapter intends to expose students to the geoscience world and increase their understanding of the geoscience discipline, its application in oil and gas industry as well as the current status of research and development in this area. It also wants to promote innovation and technical progress and to foster communication, fellowship and cooperation between UTP geoscience students and industry. In the near future, there is a plan to organize a few activities to help better understanding of geoscience and EAGE as a whole. One plan is to organize a field trip to some limestone sites around Malaysia for greater understanding in carbonates rock. On top of that, there will be
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talks as well as an exhibition covering geology, geophysics and petroleum geoscience in the second half of the year. PETRONAS University of Technology (UTP) is a Malaysian private university established in 1997. It provides opportunities for the pursuit of knowledge and expertise for the advancement of engineering, science and technology to enhance the nation’s competitiveness.
The EAGE-UTP-SC committee members during a meeting.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS
ISSUE 1 2015
STUDENT CHAPTERS
Youth petroleum club launched at Gubkin University
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outh Petroleum Club (YPC) is the latest project by Gubkin University EAGE Student Chapter and the Russian Association of Students of the Fuel and Energy Complex (RASTEK). Youth Petroleum Club is a scientific-practical club, which deals with the development of skills and insight into issues in the petroleum industries through the solving of real problems. The project is designed
Intellectual tournament among universities organised by Gubkin University EAGE Student Chapter.
for young professionals, and provides a new scientific environment for students and young professionals designed to enable them to realize their leadership, scientific and creative potential. Activities of YPC take place under guidance of experts focusing on the evaluation and support of new projects aimed at applications in industry. Alexander Repnik, the author and leader of the project, spoke at the presentation about the importance of shifting the focus to developing people with a special mindset: ‘Investments into human capital should be the key for great achievements. We will try to make a modest contribution to inspiring a new generation of leaders for the energy industry. We are open to new members and new partners all over the world. Let’s create together a new petroleum generation’. The project at Gubkin University is supported by the department of exploration geophysics and computer systems headed by Prof Valeriy Ryzhkov, who is very attentive to student initiatives. Students have participated actively in the event and they would like to participate in future realizations of this project. Members of YPC with specific responsibilities include Alexander Repnik, Alexander Eliseev, Arsen Adilbekov and Alibek Alisoltanov.
Students inaugurate first Chapter in Turkey
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student conference in Russia proved to be the inspiration for the setting up of the first EAGE Student Chapter in Turkey. Members of the newly formed Istanbul Technical University EAGE Student Chapter (ITU EAGE) say that under the ITU’s umbrella, they had been seeking collaboration between different departments to create a sense of community amongst undergraduate and graduate students interested in the geosciences. When they met with students from other countries at the international meeting in Russia, the solution to their problem came to mind. It was the idea to form an EAGE Student Chapter. Since January the Chapter has been in operation to promote the earth sciences at ITU, with Ayse Kaslilar, an assistant professor in the Geophysical Engineering Department, acting as advisor to the Chapter. This is what the students say about the development: ‘We encouraged people to be a part of our ITU-EAGE Student Chapter by informing them about the advantages of EAGE membership, such as sponsored membership, travel grants, student
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS
lecture tours, online geo-quizes and published materials. We believe that the EAGE Student Chapter will contribute to improving our relationships as well as our knowledge. We aim to provide information about academic and professional career opportunities; to become a platform for networking among all majors; to improve the relations between community and industry; and to organize field trips/camps to gain more practical experience.’ Istanbul Technical University prides itself on having a multi-cultural environment, appreciated by the students since its foundation. It provides to its students innovative educational facilities by using its international contacts to help young, talented
ISSUE 1 2015
individuals who are able to work not only within their country’s borders but also in the global arena. Meantime the country of Turkey has its own distinctive ‘geo’ profile. It occupies a very special geographic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia bordered by three different seas and located on an active tectonic region, in the centre of the Alpine-Himalayan Mountain Belt. This complex geological zone leads to wide range of geological occurrences such as major fault zones with large earthquakes, high potential geothermal resources, wide range of mines and minerals. Istanbul is the economic, cultural, and historical heart of Turkey and has a unique texture formed by the fusion of many cultures.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Fracking schools open up in UK
Why oil and gas industry employers are worried
S Matthew Hancock, Business, Enterprise and Energy Minister.
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National College for Onshore Oil and Gas, based in Blackpool, has been given the go-ahead by UK Business, Enterprise and Energy Minister Matthew Hancock. The first national UK shale colleges will be linked to five institutions across the UK, including the Weir Advanced Research Centre at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland. The new centres of excellence will train the next generation of onshore oil and gas specialists, allowing Britain to make the most of economic opportunities offered by natural shale gas. Hancock said: ‘Shale gas is an enormous opportunity for the UK and one that we simply can’t afford to miss out on. Imagine if we had passed up a similar opportunity to go into the North Sea some 50 years ago. What if we’d let that oil and gas stay in the ground? What if we’d said it was too difficult or too controversial? ‘The whole country would be poorer, finance would account for an even greater share of our economy; I am not prepared to pass up a once-in-a-generation economic opportunity, with the potential for industry to invest up to £33 billion in the next 15 years or so.’ He said the shale and gas industry is expected to create around 64,500 jobs. Industry group the United Kingdom Onshore Oil and Gas (UKOOG) led the bid to set up the college.
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kills shortages are again the biggest concern for employers (30%) in the oil and gas business with economic instability a close second (24%), according to the sixth annual Hays Oil & Gas Salary Guide. The finding is said to reflect the nervousness that had already crept into the industry when this survey was undertaken last November. Twenty-nine per cent of employers cited inadequate succession planning for knowledge transfer and skills retention as the key cause of skills shortages within the industry. While potential layoffs could lessen the skills shortage locally, there will continue to be shortages for experienced talent within in-demand skill areas, such as subsea, petroleum engineering and increasingly LNG. John Faraguna, managing director, Hays Oil & Gas, said: ‘Since we collated the data the industry has been through unprecedented times. Projects with attractive economics are likely to continue, but new projects will come under increased scrutiny and, if no longer economically viable under the new oil price regime, could be postponed or cancelled. ‘However, teams managing day-to-day operations still require the resources necessary to complete projects on time and within budget. At the other end of the spectrum, smaller businesses are responding to recent changes by focusing on interim hiring, shifting from multi-year contracts to short-term specialist assignments.’ Ninety-five per cent of oil and gas professionals said salary is the most important factor when considering a new role. In addition, 92% of job seekers judge company reputation as a crucial element in their decision-making process when evaluating new job opportunities. The guide included responses from more than 45,000 oil and gas professionals across 25 disciplines in 188 countries worldwide. Significantly, 10,000 respondents globally were employers or hiring managers within the industry. However, due to the timing of the survey the fall in global oil prices has not been fully reflected in the guide. To attract top talent, 72% of employers felt they had to make improvements to their employee offering in the last year, including training and development, compensation and rewards. As company reputation is such a significant factor for job seekers in evaluating a job opportunity, employers increasingly have to develop a compelling employee value proposition to be perceived as an employer of choice. In order to compete for the best talent and niche skills, employers must showcase their training and professional development programmes to help promote their brand and set themselves apart in the industry. With hiring plans impacted, employers are faced with difficult decisions: how to reduce costs while still having the right skills to deliver projects. Furthermore, a decrease in hiring is likely to exacerbate the skills gap and could result in further skills shortages in the future. This year’s survey revealed 22.5% of respondents worldwide are aged 50 and above, which means that a significant portion of the tenured, skilled workforce will be retiring over the next 5+ years. With the anticipated reduced hiring of Gen Y workers due to market conditions, the future generation of industry leaders, the industry may be creating a future skills gap issue, much like it did in the mid-to-late 1980s. Skills shortage for oil industry could be looming.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS
ISSUE 1 2015
INDUSTRY NEWS
Funding initiative brings Indian students to Dublin
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niversity College Dublin (UCD), Ireland has announced a scholarship to attract students from India. The €250,000 scholarship funding is for students of both postgraduate and UG programmes. The university has also launched two new Masters level courses in petroleum geosciences and actuarial sciences. Gerald Byrne, vice president and college principal, UCD College of Engineering and Architecture, said: ‘We want to create awareness about the possibilities for Indian students in Dublin in the areas of science, technology and engineering. Also, we are developing a number of new projects with key universities in India. With the funding initiative we want to help more students to come and study here and have a new learning experience. Each scholarship will also have a stipend to cover the living expenses.’
S University College Dublin campus.
Amongst the scholarships announced are two full tuition scholarships at the graduate level, with five 50% tuition scholarships for taught Masters programmes and over 50 scholarships of €2000 euros. At undergraduate level the university is offering scholarships valued between 50% of the full tuition fee and €2500.
Australian science students to learn from virtual cave tours
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rom classrooms around the country, students in Australia will embark on a digital journey exploring the iconic Jenolan Caves, an important scientific environment full of learning opportunities. As they progress through quests, the students will explore the surrounding environment and complete inquiry based learning tasks that test their core science skills. This virtual excursion is made possible by the partnership between computer scientists from CSIRO together with science education
UK oil and gas doctoral training centre launched
experts from 3P Learning to develop ‘immersive learning’ environments. Malcolm Turnball, Minister of Communications, said: ‘This fantastic education initiative enables students from across Australia to explore locations from their home or classroom, while improving their science skills along the way. It makes online excursions a reality for students who may never get the chance to visit Australia’s most iconic sites.’ The programme combines 3P Learning’s latest educational resource, IntoScience, with high-definition panoramic video and 3D models of real places scanned using CSIRO’s award-winning laser mapping technology, Zebedee. CSIRO’s technology is the first capable of mapping caves with lasers while continuously moving, which makes it more efficient and more detailed than traditional methods.
ecretary of State for Scotland Alistair Carmichael has visited Heriot-Watt’s Edinburgh Campus to hear about the newly launched NERC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Oil and Gas and meet the first cohort of students. The £9m CDT combines the very best of academic and industrial expertise to train the next generation of top level geoscience and environmental researchers in oil and gas. It involves 17 UK universities, the British Geological Survey, the National Oceanography Centre and nine sponsor companies. The £9M investment is funded by £2.7m from NERC, £5.3m from the host higher education institutions plus over £1m already pledged by the nine industry sponsors. The CDT affords the opportunity for postgraduate students to base their studies at their respective higher education institutions but spend periods during their four-year PhD undertaking bespoke courses and specialist modules delivered by academic and industry experts as part of a unique training academy. Carmichael said: ‘I really valued the chance to visit Heriot-Watt University and see how £2.7m of Research Council funding is enabling Scotland and the rest of the UK to remain at the forefront of the Oil and Gas industry.’ Professor John Underhill, academic lead for the NERC CDT in Oil and Gas, Shell Professor of Exploration Geoscience at Heriot-Watt University, and former EAGE president, said: ‘Industry experts have described the NERC CDT in Oil and Gas as a truly game-changing initiative which provides a unique opportunity to undertake and contextualise oil and gas research and training to address the energy challenge to keep the lights on whilst respecting and addressing any environmental impact it has.
Alistair Carmichael, Secretary of State for Scotland.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS
ISSUE 1 2015
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INDUSTRY NEWS / CALENDAR
Holmes and the curious case of remote sensing The legendary Sherlock Holmes mysteries written by Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 19th and early 20th century are currently enjoying a major revival of media interest with TV drama series in both the UK and the US loosely based on Holmes and his partner Watson. Curious as it may seem, the forensic skills of the great fictional detective have been applied to produce an educational guide to remote sensing. The recently published Remote Sensing in Action: The Curious Case of Sherlock Holmes and Albert Einstein (SEG Geophysical Monograph Series No. 18) provides a unique and entertaining use of the well-loved characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to unravel and explain the historical underpinnings of remote sensing. The authors Enders Robinson and Dean Clark effectively question how we learn about the scientific method asking whether new theories or experimental results are communicated effectively by traditional methods (e.g., presentations at professional meetings or publication in a peerreviewed journal). Their response is that the scientific method needs to be applied to the scientific method itself to find out if other styles of communication might work better.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller as Holmes.
The extended appendices guarantee that all of the science of remote sensing is included in this book of ‘scientific fiction’. The story covers more than 2000 years, beginning with Pythagoras in ancient Greece and ending with Einstein’s first article on relativity in 1905. Light-years beyond a traditional science textbook, this detective story set in 1905 is designed to teach students of all ages about the exciting journey of scientific discovery. The authors’s credentials for attempting such an ambitious and entertaining project combine the expertise of a very distinguished geoscience innovator and a geoscience editor with a lifelong interest in everything Sherlock Holmes.
Enders A. Robinson is professor emeritus of geophysics at Columbia University in the Maurice Ewing and J. Lamar Worzel Chair. He was a key influence in the introduction of digital seismic processing and was a founder and first director of the Geophysical Analysis Group at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he earned degrees in mathematics (BS), economics (MS) and geophysics (PhD). Dean Clark, long-time editor of SEG’s The Leading Edge until his retirement in 2013, has written short stories and short plays based on characters in the Sherlock Holmes stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and also participates in a number of Holmes-related societies and activities.
EAGE Students Event Calendar April 2015 2 April
Student Lecture Tour Asia Pacific
May 2015 14-17 May
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
3 April
Student Lecture Tour Asia Pacific Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
7 April 10 April 16-17 April 23-26 April
Student Lecture Tour Asia Pacific Yangon, Myanmar Student Lecture Tour Asia Pacific Bandung, Indonesia 1st African Great Lakes Petroleum and Geoscience Conference & Exhibition Kampala, Uganda Geosphere 2015 Silesia region, Poland
Geophysical Activity Programme (GAP) 2015 Freiburg, Germany
27 May
Baku ‘15 Student Programme Baku, Azerbaijan
June 2015 1 June 2 June 1-4 June 4 June
FIELD Challenge 2015 finals Madrid, Spain EAGE Geo-Quiz (global) Madrid, Spain Madrid 2015 Student Programme Madrid, Spain EAGE Student Chapter Meeting Madrid, Spain
July 2015 13-16 July 13-27 July
IGSC 6 Prague, Czech Republic White Sea Field Camp on Shallow Geophysics 2015 Kandalaksha Gulf, Russia
27 Jul - 1 Aug 3rd Latin American Geosciences Student Conference Niterói, Brazil
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EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS
ISSUE 1 2015