EAGE NEWSLETTER
STUDENTS
Issue 2 2016
Be inspired by Paris in 2017 By Pierre-Olivier Lys, chair, EAGE Student Affairs Committee
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efore becoming the third President of the United States in 1801, Thomas Jefferson served four years as Minister to France in Paris. It is therefore on a well-informed basis that he was able to write that ‘a walk in Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life’. True Parisians love to walk aimlessly in the city (flâner as they call it), an activity which was described as ‘the gastronomy of the eye’ by the famous French novelist Honoré de Balzac. It is actually quite rewarding to stroll the streets in Paris, trying to catch the hint of history which makes every place special: from the first traces of prehistoric settlements dating back some 6000 years near Bercy, to the Gothic architectural gem of Notre-Dame Cathedral and passing by the ruins of the Gallo-Roman baths at the very heart of the city, everything is a feast for the eye and seems the result of several thousand years of harmonious expansion. In fact, Paris has suffered from episodes of dramatic destruction, the result of infighting or deliberate urbanization programmes. The last and most famous, was the one orchestrated by Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann, who was charged in 1853 by Emperor Napoleon III to transform Paris from an overcrowded and unhealthy city into the megalopolis that we know today. Haussmann’s visionary - though controversial - action brought air, water and light to the suffocating Paris, opening the city towards modernity.
Just like Paris a bit more than 150 years ago, the oil and gas industry has probably reached a crossroads: more than ever, it has to face new challenges which completely question its founding principles. Today, the oil price volatility (and hence the industry’s profitability), global warming, social acceptability and digital transformation are some of these major challenges, and the industry can only turn them into opportunities by shifting the paradigm.
Your generation is expected to bring to the industry qualities like creativity, openness to change and the ability to deal with digital technologies.
Art meets Geoscience during Paris 2017 Student Progamme!
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f you are seeking an opportunity to meet fellow students, share experiences, make new friends, explore job opportunities or improve your knowledge, don’t miss the next EAGE Annual Conference & Exhibition in Paris, from 12-15 June 2017. Themed ‘Paint your Path’, this year’s Student Programme is organized especially to encourage students to actively invest in the beginning of their developing career. As such, the Annual Meeting represents a valuable opportunity which could help you on your career path. There is a chance to gain experience by presenting a paper in front of an international audience of industry experts and fellow students. EAGE invites students to submit their abstracts for Paris 2017 before the deadline of 15 January 2017. Topics and template instructions are published online at www.eage.org/event/paris-students-2017. Students may also apply for travel grants. The EAGE student travel grants offer students support towards their participation in the Student Programme. Those accepted for a travel Read more on page 2 ➤
When Baron Haussmann was asked to modernize Paris, he obviously faced resistance, criticism and inertia because change is always uncomfortable, even sometimes painful, and drives us into a corner. However, his open-mindedness to new ideas, his dynamism and strong character, made it possible to overcome this resistance and to take a new turn towards modernity. Likewise, Generation Z - your generation - is expected to bring to the industry some specific qualities like creativity, openness to change and the ability to deal with digital technologies that will help overcome the challenges we are facing. Read more on page 2 ➤
What's inside Jesper’s blog
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A geophysicist’s journey
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Swiss expedition to cave of surprises
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Industry News and more
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EAGE UPDATE
Be inspired by Paris in 2017 Continued from p.1.
One of the objectives of the Students Affairs Committee (SAC) is to help you develop the skills that will enable you to find your way in the industrial or academic world. All year round, activities are organized by EAGE, thanks to the involvement of our sponsors and the 60+ student chapters spread across the world. I have personally been able to appreciate the amount of professional work that the chapters are achieving in order to promote geosciences, and was therefore very happy to see this year’s EAGE President reward the top two student chapters, namely AGH University of Science and Technology and China University of Petroleum Beijing. We also organized a Student Chapter Meeting during the Annual Conference & Exhibition in Vienna, where a few people from the SAC and Education Board mixed with more than 30 students involved in different chapters at a ‘Diversity Icebreaker’ workshop. It was a good way to get to know each other better while having some fun and developing soft skills.
Arc de Triomphe, Paris.
The FIELD Challenge was also another highlight of the Vienna Conference & Exhibition. The challenge specifically targets your ability to work in a team and to coordinate your technical competencies in order to propose a Field Development Plan which is presented to a jury composed of experienced professionals and professors alike. This year, more than 50 teams participated to the first round of the challenge, sending in their essays about the transfer of knowledge in the industry. Six finalist teams were eventually selected and were sponsored to come to the Annual Conference & Exhibition in Vienna to defend their Field Development Plan. Being part of the jury, I was once again truly amazed by the amount of work and the creativity that all the finalists deployed, especially the winning team from IFP School, which demonstrated a great deal of hard work and professionalism.
I can’t stress enough all the benefits that you may get from attending the various activities organized by EAGE, especially of course the Student Programme during the Annual Conference & Exhibition which will take place in Paris next year. Those of you lucky enough to come to the conference will hopefully experience Jefferson’s quote, and learn the city’s ‘lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life’. One of these lessons is maybe the motto ‘Fluctuat nec mergitur’ which the French capital has favoured since the 14th century. It can be translated as ‘She is tossed by the waves but does not sink’. Present in the city coat of arms depicting a ship floating on a tough sea, the motto invites us to remain optimistic, and to remember that despite the crisis and revolutions that agitated the city, Paris always managed to survive and prosper throughout the centuries.… See you next year in Paris!
EAGE Student Newsletter Student Affairs Committee Pierre-Olivier Lys co-chair (Total) Claudia Steiner-Luckabauer co-chair (HOT Engineering GmbH) Giancarlo Bernasconi (Politecnico di Milano) Roger Clark (University of Leeds) Thomas Finkbeiner (KAUST) Aaron Girard (University of Western Australia) Anne Jardin (IFP Energies Nouvelles) Arjan Kamp (Total) Community Manager (Students) Kirsten Brandt (kbt@eage.org) Account Manager Corporate Relations Daan van Ommen (don@eage.org) Submission of articles communications@eage.org Newsletter on the Web (www.eage.org)
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Make sure to join the Student Programme in Paris Continued from p.1.
grant will receive an allocated amount of funds onsite during the event in Paris. Please note that the travel grants will not cover all expenses, but are meant as a contribution to support students. Paris is known as a city of culture and art, and an attraction in itself. However, the Student Programme - with its variety of technical presentations, workshops, exhibition tour, trial interviews and our EAGE Geo-Quiz – is reason enough to come to Paris. Together with the networking and recruitment opportunities, and the social and educational activities, the conference offers a unique experience. In organizing the programme, the EAGE Student Affairs Committee aims to close the gap between students and professionals. Students often work very hard and enthusiastically on their careers. They see students travel around the world to visit other universities and conferences to gain more knowledge, but how to get a foot in the
door of the oil and gas industry at a time when oil prices dominate the hiring rates? Our advice is to make yourself visible and that’s something we can help with. Be at Paris 2017, participate in the FIELD Challenge, establish a student chapter, and grab the chance to join a global network that EAGE provides you with, as this may be just as important as technical knowledge.
Support for Paris 2017 Student Programme We would like to thank Total, ExxonMobil, Statoil and the EAGE Student Fund for supporting the Paris 2017 Student Programme. If your company would be interested in sponsoring the Paris 2017 Student Programme, please review the sponsoring opportunities at www.eage.org/event/paris-2017 or contact us at sponsoring@eage.org.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 2 2016
EAGE UPDATE / COLUMN
South Africa’s Geo-Quiz brings multi-national talent to the fore
Jesper Dramsch is a Masters degree student who recently started his PhD at DTU in Copenhagen. He frequently writes for his blog ‘The Way of the
The regional competition of the EAGE Geo-Quiz travelled to the African continent in August and was hosted by the 35th International Geology Congress (IGC) in Cape Town, South Africa. It proved a memorable contest with surprising winners.
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he Congress, held from 27 August to 4 September, included technical sessions, workshops, short courses, field trips, student activities, a five-day exhibition, and a social programme. Student teams were able to register for the EAGE Geo-Quiz at the EAGE booth on the exhibition floor leading to 26 three-person teams taking part. There was much at stake as the winning team would receive travel grants and free registration to the 79th EAGE Conference & Exhibition in Paris (12 to 15 June 2017). The Geo-Quiz welcomed students from South African universities such as Stellenbosch University, North-West University South Africa, University of Johannesburg, and Wits University as well as a good international representation from Brazil, Namibia, India, Pakistan, Australia, United Kingdom, etc. John Paul Hunt of the Council of Geoscience, South Africa, and an IGC35 organizing committee member, was the quizmaster for the competition and said ‘it was a privilege to be able to include the EAGE Geo-Quiz in its programme, and for the 26 competing teams it was a test of knowledge covering such diverse topics as geophysics, paleontology, economic geology, and South African geological and mining history. The format of the quiz is such that teams must think and act quickly, and the fervour grew as the final round approached.’ The ultimate winners were a late entry of students assembled from teamless individuals - Nisar Ahmed (Punjab University, Pakistan), Ria Mukherjee (Wits University, South Africa), and Courtney Anders (University of Melbourne, Australia). Their strength proved to be in their diversity as a multi-national mix of geologists and geophysicists. The team held an unassailable lead for half of the competition but it did not diminish the determination and enthusiasm of the other teams, and all teams should be commended for their good spirit. No doubt the three winners will have forged a bond that will reunite them in June next year to compete in the global Geo-Quiz in Paris. Quizmaster John Paul Hunt was full of praise for the event: ‘The EAGE exceeded expectations in its ability to create forums in which student geoscientists could meet and interact, and the IGC35 was richer because of it.’
Geophysicist’ on his experiences as a student in the geoscience community.
Becoming a geologist for a week
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ou might have guessed: I’m a geophysicist. I like my rocks imaged through waves or inverted for their potential. When I ended up in a job in reservoir characterization this was no longer good enough. My supervisor sent me to the EAGE Geology Boot Camp. One week in Northern Spain, true hands-on experience, and no escape! The week started with an overview over the Tremp basin in the Southern Pyrenees. A terrific view and the geology promised to have a riddle or two in store for us. We started out sketching the southernmost outcrops, seismically speaking. I called it inline and crossline, the geologists smiled and corrected that we were looking at dip and strike. It was a look deep into Cretaceous limestones under beautiful conglomerate cliffs. Drawing the structural features, I felt like a true geologist. Back in Tremp, we set up our ‘data room’ in the Institute for Cartography and Geology of Catalunya. Every day we would venture out into the field and capture new information. In the data room, we combined these with well interpretation and seismic profiles. Our goal was to present a hydrocarbon play analysis to the ‘Board of Directors’ on the final day. We split into teams to examine two outcrops facing each other in a roadcut, realizing the surfaces had very few common features, suggesting strong faulting. These were the medium scale for logging sequences, finding turbidites that fanned out to deep water structures and limestone-marl successions with corals and macrofossils to determine the water depth of these carbonate sequences. We analyzed the small scale to determine porosity and permeability, as well as finding a local fossil turritella trempina together with foraminifera. This provided us with indicators to the water depth during deposition. The Tremp basin had it all for us. From all of this information, we condensed burial graphs and play evaluation sheets. After all, the Northern Pyrenees in Southern France were a valuable asset. Some of the wells in our area even tested positive for hydrocarbons and two anticlines were produced at some point. Working under a tight deadline, we looked at the structure sketches and the seismic that tied our wells together. At the end of this geological detective story, we presented two prospective plays. However, the probability of geological success turned out to be 2.5% for the ‘good’ one in an anticline and 0.25% for the ‘not so good’ one in the turbiditic sequence. Exploration companies usually start being interested at 30%. I truly believe this has me up to speed with many geologic concepts and play evaluation. I met some bright and sympathetic peers and as a bonus, upon returning to Copenhagen, I was envied for the nice sun tan I had acquired. Absolutely worth it.
Cape Town, South Africa.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 2 2016
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INTERVIEW
A geophysicist’s journey Ivan Pires de Vasconcelos has just begun working as an assistant professor of applied geoscience at Utrecht University. He tells us here about his career so far which has involved jobs with Schlumberger, University of Edinburgh (visiting industry fellow), and ION Geophysical. He completed a BSc in geophysics and physics at Universidade de São Paulo followed by a PhD at the Colorado School of Mines. needs, and focusing on top notch communication skills. This of course assumes that their scientific and technical skills are also at a high standard.
Ivan Pires de Vasconcelos.
Do you come from a science family background? No, I don’t. My father is a human resources consultant and my mother is a French teacher after retiring from nursing. What got you into geoscience? All I knew is that I liked physics, maths, natural sciences (biology, geology) and technology. I kind of gravitated from wanting to study physics to geophysics because of the prospect of an international industrial career. How hard was it to transfer from a university in Brazil to the Colorado School of Mines? Well, I didn’t transfer. I finished my Bachelors in Brazil, then pursued my PhD at Mines. The catalyst in that change was Prof Ilya Tsvankin at Mines. He invited me to finish my undergrad thesis with him at Mines, and after my time there, he and the Centre for Wave Phenomena (CWP) offered me the opportunity of doing my PhD there. I’m truly grateful to Ilya and CWP for that: it truly changed my life for the best. Did university life prepare you for your industry jobs with GX Technology and subsequently with ION Geophysical, and are there lessons for students? Yes it did. Firstly, my Bachelor education at USP had a strong focus on the basics of physics, maths, computing, geophysics; the foundations are essential. Then, the education at CWP: there they focus on keeping the science relevant to industry, along with being very thorough in written and oral communication to the highest standards. I think that is what students should keep in mind: how their education and science relates to real
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Including your later research work at Edinburgh University and the Schlumberger research centre in Cambridge, UK, which research projects and results are you most proud of? This is difficult to answer, because I tend to be very critical about my past work in general. But I guess that the overall framework of non-linear imaging and redatuming full wave fields in complex media is the highlight for me. This includes the work on gradient imaging, and Marchenko redatuming and imaging. I have been doing this in close collaboration with my colleagues at Edinburgh, Delft and ETH Zurich. From you perspective what are the most important research areas for geoscientists to pursue? I don’t think there is a straightforward answer to this question. In fact, I think it is a somewhat dangerous question that could potentially lead people away from good science that could lead to important discoveries that end up being relevant in some way. In the end, it is a personal search: every geoscientist should follow her/his gut as to what is an important question in their field of choice. It is probably fair to say there are important questions in every area of geoscience. My only recommendation to researchers starting out is to perhaps go for areas that are scientifically broad as opposed to chasing ones that cater to a restricted niche of people/interests. It’s early days, but how will you balance research and teaching obligations in your new position of assistant professor of applied geoscience at Utrecht University? That will definitely be a challenge: I don’t have an answer yet, because I have not started teaching! Maybe ask me again in 1-2 years’ time…. Do you think you will remain in academia? If so, what is the attraction? It is early days for me in academia, but I do hope to stay, if I can. The attraction is firstly,
the talent and enthusiasm of up and coming students: they are the ones fuelling new and growing science and the scientific community. The second attraction is the pursuit of a broader range of science topics, as I hope to still work on seismology, both exploration and global, but also on radar imaging for cryosphere and planetary studies, as well as some medical imaging. You have been very active in SEG education and communication affairs. What do you see as the value in this, and now you are only a few kilometres from EAGE’s HQ near Utrecht, will you be lending some support to EAGE initiatives? My experience with the SEG was not only personally rewarding, but I think it is important for most geoscientists to get involved in some level with professional societies, simply because they are made of scientists for scientists. I would love to get involved with EAGE. Do you feel comfortable encouraging students to pursue a career in the oil and gas industry in the current economic and social environment? This is also a personal choice every individual needs to make on their own. All I have to offer is my own (restricted) experience: I left the O&G industry because I wanted to focus on science and education, and because I wanted to pursue a broader range of scientific research, not because I felt there was no place for me in the industry anymore. Although times have been bad for the industry and many have been laid off, the O&G industry will continue to be one of the main employers for geoscientific talent for many years to come. However, the way some companies have treated professionals has been less than ideal in some cases (though definitely not in mine), and I wonder as a community what more we can do to support those affected by this, and to mitigate it in the future. I recently heard a very experienced industrial researcher say, ‘If you decide to work for industry, you must take in the good with the bad…’, that is not only a truth of industry but of any profession and employer.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 2 2016
EAGE UPDATE
Enter the EAGE FIELD Challenge 2017 evaluation, application form, and a signed copy of the Declaration of Integrity. Download the necessary documents from eage.org/students. The best eight proposals will be selected for the finals, and only those student teams will be invited to analyze and propose a field development plan to an expert jury, based on a much more detailed dataset, including 3D seismic, well, core and dynamic data. The eight finalists will receive travel grants and tickets to Paris 2017 to present their plans in front of an expert jury. More information is available on www.eage.org/students. Bruno Simon, Total global chief geologist,
Winners in Vienna 2016: team from IFP School, France.
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ave you ever dreamt of becoming an oil finder? Then you should definitely apply to the 2017 FIELD Challenge. The contest provides student teams with a dataset of an existing hydrocarbon resource and the participants are required to analyze and propose a field development plan. Finalists will receive travel funding and free registration to the 79th EAGE Conference & Exhibition in Paris to present their plans to an expert jury on 11 June 2017. The winners’ prize is fantastic. Besides publicity and being presented during the Paris 2017 Opening Ceremony, the winning team will be able to experience a special 2-3 day visit to Total’s Scientific Headquarters in Pau, France. Integration is key The FIELD Challenge promotes cross-disciplinary geoscience and engineering integration within universities. EAGE invites universities to enter the competition with a multi-disciplinary team of 3-5 full-time geoscience and petroleum engineering students, with a maximum of one PhD student per team. Teams should consist of students with a variety of disciplines such as geophysics, geology, petrophysics, reservoir engineering, production engineering, and petroleum economics/engineering. Jean-Marc Rodriguez, Total global chief geophysicist says: ‘Total believes that the wise use of
technology by cross-functional teams is the cornerstone of a successful development project: we therefore encourage multi-disciplinary teams to combine their skills and experiences, in order to produce a comprehensive field development plan, which will propose innovative solutions to tackle uncertainties, and build a profitable project out of this field.’ Enter the competition To qualify for the Challenge, students are expected to unleash their creativity and technical excellence to 1) interpret an exploration dataset, 2) generate the most attractive prospect(s), and 3) win the licensing round! All candidate teams will be able to download (pdf) a set of 2D seismic lines, offset wells and regional geological description from eage.org/ students that should be thoroughly interpreted in order to evaluate prospectivity, and to select the areas of higher interest. A short proposal should then be written, 2000-3000 words in length, describing the reason why a particular area was selected as more prospective, based on your interpretation of the dataset. Pictures should obviously accompany the text in order to illustrate the written statement. To enter the FIELD Challenge, please submit before 8 January, 23:59 (GMT +1), to students@eage.org. The submission should include the 2000 to 3000-word prospectivity
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 2 2016
sums up the Challenge. ‘The skills and qualities required to win the FIELD Trophy are very much in line with the foundation of what we call the “Total Attitude”, the four pillars of our corporate culture: Listening, Boldness, Cross-Functionality and Mutual Support. We are convinced that all participants will develop these qualities during the competition, and we wish them all the best to actually win the FIELD Challenge!’ The data set Total is very proud to provide the 2017 EAGE FIELD Challenge with a modern dataset taken from our historical portfolio. Rifts and grabens have always been, and are still today, a privileged exploration thematic for us, the North Sea being one of the playgrounds that nurtured the company’s development across the past decades. Total proposes to the FIELD Challenge participants to work on an oil and gas field, located offshore Norway in the Northern North Sea. The reservoir is within the sandstones of the Eocene Frigg formation, and is a submarine fan made of massive channel sands with associated levee and lobes deposits. The best sandy facies exhibit excellent petrophysical properties, with permeabilities in excess of 1 Darcy. The reservoir, however, shows strong heterogeneities that should be treated properly in the Field Development Plan. Although the field was discovered in the late 70s, the decision to develop was not taken until very recently, when the existing technology was deemed mature enough to significantly decrease the uncertainties linked to seismic imaging challenges. This two-steps approach explains why, among the five wells given in the dataset, old as well as new data can be found: bridging the gap
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EAGE UPDATE
ing Ceremony in the presence of the top of our geoscience and engineering community. In addition, Total has a remarkable prize in store. The FIELD Challenge is a very professional exercise, and Total supports EAGE in recognizing the hard work and commitment of the participants. After gathering the opinions of former FIELD Challenge winners and the EAGE Student Affairs Committee, we decided to give the winners of the competition a prize that will open doors in the students’ careers; a privileged visit to Total’s Scientific Headquarters in Pau, France. Total will receive the trophy winners in our premises for 2-3 days as VIP guests, to have them discover our business, our high technology facilities, and especially to have them personally meet our global chief geophysicist and geologist. These
Best team presentation in progress.
across these different data will be the objective of a detailed well interpretation. One of these technologies is broadband seismic, which has flourished since a few years, and which has allowed a decisive step change in our understanding of the field, allowing new successful delineation wells to be drilled, paving the way for the field development, which should start producing in a couple of years or so. Because broadband seismic played such an
important role in this project, Total and its partners are glad to make this high quality seismic dataset available to the participants of the EAGE FIELD Challenge, including angle substacks that should allow a more detailed seismic reservoir characterization. Opening doors at Total for winning team The winning team of the EAGE FIELD Challenge will receive a trophy during the Paris 2017 Open-
high-level senior managers are respectively leading the geophysical and geological communities at Total. Very relevant to mention is that these managers are in charge of recruiting geoscientists and steering their careers for the company, and while we can’t conceal the reality that recruitments are low in the industry, they must still keep a longterm vision of human resources, and think about the future. Not saying that the FIELD Challenge winners would be directly hired, but this one-toone meeting would be a strong networking opportunity with the most influent persons in the recruitment process.
Societies plan a special Middle East event for students
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EG, EAGE and AAPG are to join forces for the first time to bring to an exciting regional symposium for geoscience students in the region. Set to be hosted by the UAE University in Al Ain, UAE on 27 February to 1 March 2017, the programme will comprise a field trip, poster sessions and presentations by students and industry professionals. Selected participants will receive free lodging and full board meals for the duration of the event while airfare and visa (if required) will be paid by the attendee. The SEG Challenge Bowl, AAPG Imperial Barrel Award Program and of course EAGE’s
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EAGE Geo-Quiz contest in Bahrain at GEO 2016.
very own Geo-Quiz will be featured with great prizes for the winning teams. The EAGE Geo-Quiz was first held in 2007 in London, and since then, it has always been one of the highlights of EAGE’s regional con-
ferences and Annual Meetings. Participants will be able to select their teams, which must consist of three students to qualify. Geoscience-related questions will then be presented to the teams in a pop-quiz style, with 30-40 seconds to select the correct answer. The quiz will feature three rounds, and the team that makes it to the final round with the most points stands to walk away with a fantastic prize of three travel grants to 79th EAGE Conference & Exhibition 2017 (12-15 June, Paris, France). For more information about this event, please visit the SEG, AAPG and EAGE websites.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 2 2016
EAGE UPDATE
Random pairing wins a ticket to Geo-Quiz at Paris 2017
Quizmaster Dr Simon Brealey with Dennis Conway, Victoria Seesaha and Rachel Moo (EAGE Asia Pacific office) during the prize-giving ceremony.
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trip to Paris became a dream come true for two Australian geoscience students who had never met before this year’s ASEG-PESA-AIG Conference in Adelaide, South Australia. Victoria Seesaha, 22, an honours student in petroleum geology at Curtin University, and Dennis Conway, 22, a PhD geophysics student at the University of Adelaide, teamed up to pull off a stunning one-point win in the EAGE
Geo-Quiz at the Richmond Hotel, Adelaide. Their prize is an expenses paid trip to Paris to attend next year’s 79th Annual Conference & Exhibition Conference. Dennis has never been out of Australia in his entire life and Victoria will be making her first visit to Paris. The two met for the first time at the EAGE Geo-Quiz event and paired up randomly. They proved to be an unbeatable match. They could not believe their ears and screamed with joy as the quizmaster, Dr Simon Brealey from Cooper Energy announced the results at the end of an evening of excitement, nervous tension and winter winds in downtown Adelaide. Victoria said that her quiz partner had proven adept at solving the geophysics and minerals-related questions. ‘I came all the way to Adelaide for the first time and end up winning the Paris prize. Dennis and I are a good match.’ Dennis added: ‘I
would just like to thank EAGE for providing such a fantastic opportunity to attend a world class geoscience event. It was a chance meeting with Victoria. We just thought we would give it a try even if we might not be much good at it. Never in our wildest dreams did we think we would win a trip to Paris!’ The winners had both come to the EAGE booth first thing that morning to sign up to become EAGE members. Dr Brealey said: ‘It was a great, fun intimate event. EAGE provided a fantastic prize, really amazing, and ASEG and PESA sponsored free drinks and delicious food. When I was a student, you would have had to physically restrain me to keep me away from a brilliant event like the EAGE Geo-Quiz.’ Now Victoria and Dennis will be trying their luck to become the first Australian team to win the Global Geo-Quiz in Paris. More Geo-Quiz info at: eage.org/students.
Calling all students – renew your EAGE membership now!
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t is time to renew your EAGE membership for 2017 and there are plenty of reasons why. This year proved to be an excellent year for the EAGE student membership community and we intend to continue making improvements in the year to come. The Student Programme at the Annual Conference & Exhibition in Vienna was a resounding success, so don’t miss out on Paris next year. We have built almost 70 student chapters so EAGE’s reach amongst students has never been so diverse or so appreciated. As a student member, you can benefit from a range of student rates of EAGE workshops and conferences, such as the EAGE Annual Conference and Exhibition, Near Surface 2017, Tyumen 2017 or the Geological Boot Camp. Attending one of these events as an EAGE student member would already put you in profit. If you have been an EAGE member for some time, you likely already use EarthDoc for your studies. EarthDoc is a scientific database with over 60,000 indexed event abstracts and articles. It also provides access to the online scientific journal of your choice, making the source even more valuable for your studies.
Students full of excitement during the Geo-Quiz at the 78th EAGE Conference & Exhibition 2016.
There’s a myriad of benefits and opportunities for EAGE student members to explore, so we invite you to have a look at the options available to you on our website and hope we can welcome you as an EAGE member in 2017. If you are graduating soon or have already done so recently, congratulations! At EAGE, we have an active Young Professional (YP) community that you can get involved in to help you with the transition from student life to the professional sphere. Many former EAGE students are now involved in the Association as a YP, making it a valuable link to help you bridge the gap.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 2 2016
Renewing is easy, simply go to eage.org/ renewmembership and follow the instructions listed on this page. In order to make sure we can get all information to you, we request our members to check their contact details at least once a year by logging in at the EAGE website and check this is in the My EAGE section. When you are in the process of renewing, please also make sure your address is still correct so we can send you your membership card and First Break. We look forward to having you with us in 2017.
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STUDENT CHAPTERS
Something for everyone at Egyptian student gathering
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n September 2016, the EAGE Student Chapter at Suez University, Egypt, organized the third edition of the International Petroleum and Geoscience Conference (IPGC), a three-day technical conference and exhibition held annually in Cairo, Egypt. Addressing the fields of geology, geoscience and petroleum engineering, IPGC is a great technical experience. Being technically supported by more than a dozen international and national companies, the sessions and workshops held during the three days of the conference were a great opportunity for students, professionals and international students to develop their knowledge, keep up with the new technologies and have a look at the latest researches and developments. The sessions and workshops held at IPGC offered the opportunity for students, fresh graduates and professionals to gain more knowledge in some of the most important topics related to the oil and gas industry. Geologists and geophysicists from Shell Egypt offered a series of workshops on Construction of Static Model, Volumetric Assessment of Hydrocarbons and Production Logging.
Students gathered in Cairo at IPGC.
There was also a course on Understanding the Concepts of Failure Analysis and its Relation to the Oil & Gas Industry. Petro-Service Company conducted a workshop on mud logging and an open discussion was held on the third day of the conference when attendees could interact with senior industry professionals of multi-national companies such as Halliburton, Shell and Apache. Participants asked about the challenges facing the market, the necessary qualifications for a graduate to apply to companies, for internship and other opportunities. An EAGE Student Webinar was presented by Dr Raymond Abma (BP) on ‘Simultaneous Source Acquisition and Processing’ on the first day of the conference. ‘It opened the door to further studies and research’, according to one enthusiastic student participant. At the IPGC Exhibition companies didn’t only offer their new technologies and training packages for students but also offered valuable job offers to fresh graduates. Interested applicants delivered their CVs to the companies’ booths during the three days of the conference. Apex Dubai, a training and solutions company, held interviews for possible candidates on the third day of the conference offering vacancies not only in Cairo but also in Dubai. The EAGE Booth and Bookshop were open every day of the conference. There was a paper presentation contest, poster session and conference quiz. The winners had the opportunity to win free publications from EAGE and free courses offered by the sponsors of the conference. Being held at Cataract Pyramids Resort in Cairo, Egypt, the conference was a great combination of technology, tourism and recreation. EAGE Suez representatives organized visits to several remarkable Egyptian cities like Alexandria, Dahab, Sharm El-Sheikh and Suez making sure that the international students could become acquainted with the Egypt’s amazing history and culture.
Azerbaijan student chapter gets off to a rocky start!
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hese days EAGE Local Chapter in the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASUOI) is active in bringing together students not just from that community but also students from other institutions (Baku State University, Khazar University, Baku Higher Oil School). After the dedicated work of Local Chapter Azerbaijan and the group of active students from ASUOI, the Student Chapter (SC) was established in July 2016. President of SC is Nigar Alekperova, a fourth year student in the geological exploration faculty. Yusif Verdiyev, a third year student at the same faculty is vice president. Curator of the students is Vusala Aghayeva, one of the youngest researchers at ASUOI. Currently there are 15 undergraduate and postgraduate level students in the local chapter and the list is growing. The students are provided with multiple opportunities such as training, seminars and internship programmes. Conferences organized by EAGE can be attended not just by members but also by other students studying oil
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Spotting the anomaly in Azerbaijan.
and gas industry related topics at undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels, and the best of them are being awarded with diplomas, as well as various valuable prizes.
The activities of EAGE members are not limited to organizing scientific conferences. Some are taking part in the ASDPG-financed grant programme ‘Geological and lithological analysis of sediment protrusions along the Lahij motor way’. This is intended to help increase experience in group field work as well as develop the ability to freely correlate and interpret collected geological data. Project advisor is Vusala Aghayeva. The project started in July and will last for six months. Student chapter members involved in the project are Emil Nagiyev, Kamran Abbasov, Murad Axundzadeh, Nazrin Vahablı, Rena Zeynalli and Sevinj Seyidli. XRF analysis of rock samples being taken during the project will be carried out after the field trip. The isotopic, geochemical, chemical composition of the rocks, etc will be analysed. Then geological and lithological studies of the territory will be carried out based on the rock analysis. Results from the project work will be published and will serve as reference material for students’ future research.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 2 2016
STUDENT CHAPTERS
Oklahoma students tell how EAGE is working for them
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he story of the Oklahoma University (OU) EAGE student chapter so far is that it was founded in January 2016 as an association affiliated to the ConocoPhillips School of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Oklahoma. The chapter started with 15 students, mostly graduate geoscientists. Over this year and in cooperation with other student chapters in the department, we have organized educational and scientific events such as technical presentations, participation in competitions and symposiums and getting exposed to the oil and gas industry in Oklahoma. We’ve also participated in charity events in the area. The aim of these talks/ activities is to create a vibrant environment that connects the students to the industry’s needs, research interests and gives the student the edge to perform in today’s tough conditions. Events and activities In February the 3rd annual Geophysicist tech-fest
sponsored by ConocoPhillips was held at Oklahoma State University with over 30 students comprising 15 nationalities from University of Oklahoma (OU), University of Tulsa (TU), Uni-
versity of Arkansas, Kansas University and Oklahoma State University (OSU). The event included a poster session in the morning and short course in the afternoon. Students competed in the morning session and the top three posters were named. The event also aims to open a channel of collaboration between the students in the geophysics major from different schools. OU member Fangyu Li won 3rd place. In cooperation with OU SEG Student Chapter, we hosted Dr Kurt Marfurt to give a talk on academic writing. The talk focused on writer’s block, where the potential author’s mind simply goes blank. Dr Marfurt suggested strategies to overcome the writer’s block and get scientific papers written in a timely, efficient manner. The session was open to all students interested in help with technical writing. We had a great turnout and excellent feedback from the attendees afterwards. We also participated in the EAGE Geo-Quiz for the first time and came sixth in the contest. The experience was thrilling and we are confident that we will do better next time. The Big Event is a University of Oklahoma outreach programme aimed at giving back to com-
Charity work during the Big Event.
munity. This event allows all the student chapters in the university to participate in a charity work. On 9 April, our student chapter in cooperation with the OU SEG student chapter were assigned to help at Danforth Senior Center / OKC Housing Authority. The student members cleaned and painted some of the common areas of the center. As part of the student chapter activity, we try to attend the Geophysical Society of Oklahoma (GSOC) monthly seminars and maintain a good connection with the industry. In the annual Continuing Education event on 8 May, our members Gabriel Machado and Fangyu Li were invited to give the talks to the society.
Swiss expedition to cave of surprises
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hen a group of students voluntarily gets up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning after an intense week of fieldwork, something exciting must be on the agenda. But that’s what happened in early June when the Student Association of Geophysicists at ETH Zurich (SAGE), which includes the EAGE Student Chapter, went on an excursion to visit the Grimsel rock laboratory. The Swiss technical competence centre Nagra operates a unique underground research site to find sustainable solutions for the disposal of radioactive waste. After two hours of driving, the group of around 20 MSc and PhD students found themselves amidst the stunning scenery of the granitic Aar Massif in the middle of the Swiss Alps. We caught the last glimpse of the surrounding mountains through the back of the van before the large security gate shut behind us. After a few seconds our eyes adapted to the darkness and the tunnel system with a total length of ap-
proximately one kilometre revealed itself. A few minutes later we found ourselves in a fully furnished room with running water and electricity - 450 m below massive rock. After an introduction to the political and societal aspects of radioactive waste disposal, we entered the rock laboratory. Here, we were introduced to the technical concept that Nagra envisions for the storage of radioactive waste: large steel drums containing the waste will slide down a system of tracks to their final position deep below the surface in a
Under the Swiss Alps.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 2 2016
fully automated way. Bentonite will fill the space between the container and the rock formation to prevent damage to the steel walls and to limit the flow of pore fluids. We visited a range of experiments ranging from a controlled long-term heating study of the steel drum to monitoring of waste repositories using wireless transmission of sensor data. On our way out of the maze of tunnels, we stopped in front of an inconspicuous metal door in the tunnel wall. After our tour guide unlocked and opened the door, he flipped a switch and a 14 m long cave filled with large crystals of Quartz, Fluorite, Calcite and the like revealed itself. The cave was discovered during the excavation of the tunnel in 1974 and, due to the stable conditions in the tunnel, the crystals have been protected from erosive processes that would have destroyed them at the surface. After admiring the exceptional cave, we slowly walked to the vans, which took us back to the sunlit surface.
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STUDENT CHAPTERS
Bolivia’s latest Student Chapter dedicated to improving country’s hydrocarbon prospects
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olivian students have been inspired to establish an EAGE Student Chapter at Mayor de San Andres University (UMSA) by the desire to increase their knowledge about oil and gas exploration and production, with the support of the EAGE. The team of students who have taken steps to open the chapter are being encouraged by faculty advisor Oscar Cahuana, a petroleum engineer who studied at UMSA, went on to obtain his MSc in Spain, and currently also works for BGP-CNPC. The first activity of the initial team of 15 students, among them chapter president Rodrigo Heredia and vice president Jhessica Aylin Jemio was an opening ceremony of EAGE UMSA, which includ-
ed the presence of an industry representative from Weatherford. The Chapter also already arranged meetings with different state companies such as YPFB and ANH, with the aim winning sponsorship for future activities. A highlight this year will be a seminar scheduled for December to which a number of oil and gas industry professionals have been invited. The need for new oil and gas initiatives in Bolivia was underlined by the state oil company Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos (YPFB) in its 2009-2015 investment plan. It included proposals to give more support to new professionals providing them with the opportunity to study overseas in the most important universities around the world.
Bolivia is a producer of natural gas which over the years has become the basis of the national economy. Bolivia generates significant revenue from the export of gas to Brazil and Argentina in addition to meeting the domestic demand. However, Bolivia has suffered a fall in gross production of natural gas, which is the result of the lack of new discoveries of producible fields, the decrease of investment in the oil industry sector and the decline in the production of important fields. The increase in new exploration projects continues to be the most important immediate priority of YBFM, so the role of seismic and professionals in exploration is vital and a major motivation for EAGE’s latest Latin American chapter!
Finding the key to student chapter success The EAGE Student Chapter at AGH University of Science and Technology (Poland) won the Best Student Chapter 2015-2016 for their fantastic work, enthusiasm and creativity. They won a €2000 voucher that will give student chapter members the chance to participate in EAGE events of their choice, but can also be used for the organization of their own events. The Chapter reports.
Polish students receive Chapter first prize from EAGE president Mohammed Alfaraj.
What made us the Best Student Chapter 20152016? What’s the crucial element of our success? It was definitely Teamwork. As a result of close cooperation with the Student Scientific Society Geophone, we are able to achieve much more than we would be able to do individually. The biggest project in 2016 was the organization of Geosphere Student Geophysical Workshops in Gdynia, which lasted for three days and was attended by over 100 students of major Polish universities. We were also main organizers of the Space Debate, which was focused on the use of geophysical methods in space exploration. Furthermore, we participated in the 56th Scientific Student Session of Mining Division with 14 papers presented in the geophysical section.
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Our chapter pays particular attention to development of our knowledge in the field of geophysics and geology. Therefore, we organized events such as the Art of Science workshop, part of the EAGE Education Tour, and a Passive Seismic Monitoring Workshop, a well attended and successful two-day event. We also visited the Polish Geological Institute, National Research Institute in Warsaw, conducted a geological trip to the Sudetes mountain range and organized a few internal scientific sessions, in which students and staff of our faculty presented interesting results of their research. We have actively participated in numerous conferences such as the Geophysical Activity Programme (GAP) in Freiberg (Germany), 77th EAGE Conference & Exhibition 2015 in Madrid (Spain) and Seventh International Geosciences Student Conference In Katowice (Poland). One of our members was selected to take part in prestigious Ninth International Petroleum Technical Conference in Doha (Qatar). All of the above activities were just a part of what we have managed to realize in collaboration with Geophone. Our efforts have earned us numerous awards; the most important of them are: 1st Best Student Chapter Prize in Vienna, 3rd Best Student Chapter Prize in Madrid, 2nd place in FIELD Challenge
in Madrid, 1st and 2nd place in Geo-Quiz in Madrid, and 2nd place in on-line Geo-Quiz in 2016. What are our plans for the upcoming year? We believe that teamwork is the key to our success, but we shall also consider energizing and boosting individuals in our society. Therefore we will concentrate on supporting our fellow students with their efforts in big scientific projects, international conferences and workshops in order to make the experience exchange possible. Also, we will do our best to seize the opportunity to host professional lecturers in our university. Reflecting on her two years as student chapter president, Iga Pawelec says: ‘One point I want to stress is that it is people who make chapter experience worthwhile. Fellow chapter members with their fresh ideas and enthusiasm always make meetings interesting. I learned to listen and be patient. I made a lot of friends.’
Teamwork is key, students say.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 2 2016
INDUSTRY NEWS
North American hopes for oil jobs recovery
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tudents in search of oil industry jobs may find some cause for optimism from two recent North American studies. The findings of the Deloitte 2016 US Oil and Gas Industry Survey suggests cautious optimism about an industry recovery in 2017 and beyond after three years of downturn.. Most professionals expect oil prices to return to at least $60-80 per barrel by 2017, a level at which respondents believe investment activity could recover. Until then, they indicated cost containment initiatives remain the main priority. Renewed confidence for an industry recovery was primarily evident in expectations of rising
prices but also for a return to increasing capital expenditures and headcount. Wariness about geopolitical and regulatory influences was a common concern, but the growing liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector and newly privatized Mexican energy sector were thought to offer some positive opportunities. Meantime Canada’s oil and gas industry could expect to see some modest recovery between 2017 and 2020 due to renewed industry activity and the need to replace retiring workers, according to Labour Market Outlook 2016-2020 for Canada’s oil and Gas industry, released by PetroLMI, a division of Enform.
Bear hazard for polar researchers
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t was polar bears versus Russian scientists on a remote island in the Arctic. according to a recent Tass news agency report. A group of seven bears apparently besieged five researchers at a Russian weather station over several days. Luckily for the scientists, a passing ship delivered flares and dogs to help ward off the beasts. Vadim Plotnikov, chief of the station on Troynoy Island in the Kara Sea, said that the Russian vessel also deployed a helicopter to chase away the bears. The bears had grown increasingly aggressive, killing one of the station’s two dogs and smashing windows of the station’s depot. The desperate explorers had run out of flares and remained trapped
inside. Plotnikov said that one female polar bear was particularly persistent, overnighting under the station’s windows. Polar bears, whose habitat has been threatened by climate change, are considered protected species, so researchers have to rely on flares to drive them away.
PDO hits a century of PhDs
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he Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) earlier this year celebrated the graduation of its one hundredth PhD scholar with a ceremony at the Ministry of Oil and Gas (MOG). Waleed al Busaidi entered the company’s history books after successfully completing his PhD degree in mechanical engineering at Cranfield University in the UK. The university also awarded him the Lefebvre Prize for ‘Best Outstanding Thesis’ at its School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing. Busaidi was congratulated by PDO petroleum engineering director Dr Ali al Gheithy who was the company’s first PhD scholar when he graduated in 1986. Abdul Amir Abdul Hussein al Ajmi, external affairs and value creation director, PDO said: ‘Reaching the milestone of 100 sponsored PhD graduates is not just a magnificent achievement for PDO, as a hydrocarbon exploration and production company, but also represents a wonderful wealth of specialised knowledge and expertise for the sultanate. More than 2000 students have graduated through our scholarship scheme since it was launched in the 1980s.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 2 2016
Prize for postgrad geoscientist focused on source of chips!
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he global supply potential of the hightech metals gallium and germanium is much greater than actual annual production levels. This is the main conclusion from the prizewinning work of Max Frenzel, a postgraduate student at the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), which closely cooperates with the TU Bergakademie Freiberg. Gallium is essential for the production of high-performance chips used in smartphones and tablets, while germanium is required, for products such as fibre optic cables. Frenzel was one of two recipients of the Bernd Rendel Prize for Geosciences 2016 worth €1500, awarded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for early career geoscientists who do not hold a doctorate. It was presented in September at the annual conference of the German Geological Society (DGGV) in Innsbruck. Franzel (27) impressed the DFG Jury not only with his diverse research background, but also with his international experience. Before he came to the HIF he studied mineral science and geological sciences at the University of Cambridge obtaining first class honors degrees in both subjects. According to Frenzel’s estimate, based on new, comprehensive calculations, the annual global production of gallium and germanium could be at least seven times higher than it is at present. He said: ‘At least 2900 tonnes of gallium could be produced every year, while current (2014) production is 440 tonnes.” Next year, Frenzel will continue his research at the University of Adelaide in Australia, for which he has received a one and a half year scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
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INDUSTRY NEWS/CALENDAR
Norway’s greatest engineering feat: can you guess?
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ynamic positioning has been hailed as Norway’s greatest engineering feat since World War II in a poll of readers of Norway’s Technical Weekly magazine. It does not sound particularly exciting for the uninitiated, but it has helped bring huge revenues to Norway, and a Norwegian company, Kongsberg Maritime, is the world leader in the field. Dynamic positioning, or DP, is a computercontrolled system that uses the propellers and thrusters of an offshore drilling rig or ship to automatically maintain the vessel’s position. This is crucial for oil and gas extraction in deep water. Associate professor Stig Kvaal and Prof Per Østby, both at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), have just published The Jewel in the Crown, which presents the development of Kongsberg Maritime’s dynamic positioning systems. The book’s title plays on the crown in the logo of Kongsberg Gruppe
New building for Edinburgh’s geoscientists
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K company John McAslan + Partners has won an international competition to design the new GeoSciences Building for the University of Edinburgh. The University’s School of GeoSciences is ranked in the top 16 such faculties worldwide and is the largest community of geoscientists in the UK, home to 400 academics and research students. Artist's impression of new GeoSciences Building in Professor Sandy Tudhope, head of Edinburgh. school of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh, said: ‘The School of GeoSciences will be more than just a place of work and learning – it will be an inclusive and diverse community that reaches out to the city and beyond, where chance interactions between diverse users add to the creative flair and shared experience.’ The 17,500 m2 project on the King’s Building campus consolidates the existing accommodation into one building. The new design is designed to encourage communication between researchers and at the same time inspire students by allowing them to see the entire workings of a department. A reinterpretation of the typical laboratory layout will achieve transparency throughout the building, visually connecting write-up areas, laboratories, group rooms and offices. The building will be unified by a dramatic central atrium.
BP prize for Nigerian student
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Nigerian Masters student who has graduated with distinction from Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen picked up an industry prize for his academic performance. Ignatius Akpabio (23), from Lagos, graduated with an MSc in IT for the oil and gas industry in July, and was awarded the BP prize for the best project on the course at the School of Computing Science and Digital Media’s annual awards ceremony. Ignatius developed an inventory management system for an oil and gas servicing company as part of his MSc project, which was able to monitor and ensure effective management of goods to and from the warehouses and also record sales and purchases of goods while automatically updating stock levels with each transaction. DP keeps vessels in position during operations.
EAGE Students Event Calendar November 2016 1 Nov
EAGE Geo-Quiz (regionals)
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
23 Nov
EAGE Student Webinar
Salvador, Brazil
February 2017
March 2017 8 March
Online Geo-Quiz (Student Chapters only)
June 2017 11 June
EAGE FIELD Challenge
Paris, France
17 Feb
Earth Sciences Career Event
12 June 79th EAGE Conference & Exhibition 2017 Student Programme
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Paris, France
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 2 2016