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79th Annual Meeting President’s Address: Thriving despite adversity

Linda Holeman, Associate Editor, The Leading Edge

SEG President Larry Lines kicked off the 79th SEG Annual Meeting on an optimistic note by asserting that the Society is thriving despite adversity.

Lines noted that his tenure began almost simultaneously with a global financial crisis of unprecedented proportions. But with careful stewardship and strategic initiatives, SEG is well positioned to navigate the stormy economic seas.

Among the many initiatives undertaken to cope with the financial crisis are dues increases that are now indexed to inflation, and the success of the SEG Foundation’s US$17 million fundraising campaign.

“We’ve been careful to ensure that our expenditures never exceed our income,” said Lines. He also emphasized that SEG’s losses are not actual but are instead “unrealized,” consisting of a devaluation of its stock portfolio. As the stock market rebounds, so will SEG’s net worth.

Lines also emphasized myriad other successes that SEG should celebrate, including:

Membership growth
SEG’s membership is approaching 33 000. Lines partially attributes this to the “Fleming effect,” a nod to SEG director Mary Fleming, as the membership surge began in 2002 after Fleming took office. Lines also credits this growth to our generous donors who have sponsored student membership, as well a huge volunteer outreach internationally.

Global outreach
“The growth and development of our Beijing office is promising,” said Lines, who also noted the correspond growth in our Asian membership—nearly 15%. Lines mentioned the success of the Beijing 2009 meeting as further evidence of our strong partnership with China.

Lines also hinted at future international growth for SEG by announcing that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed for a joint office in Brazil with the SBGf in Rio de Janero.

Meetings
SEG has not only continued its many programs for members, but has expanded them. In 2009, SEG sponsored or co-sponsored nearly 50 meetings around the globe, ensuring our members stay on the leading edge of their professions.
 
Publications
“The Leading Edge is the reason why many of us joined SEG, and it continues as one of the greatest benefits to our members,” said Lines. “The Publications Group continues to produce first-rate tools for our profession, including the peer-reviewed publication Geophysics, as well as books and online publications."

Continuing education
SEG now offers an unprecedented array of continuing-education courses. Its curriculum includes 33 courses taught by respected industry and academic experts. In an exciting development, the Continuing Education department has offered two online-only courses, with more to come in 2010.

Additionally, the 2009 Distinguished Instructor Short Course (DISC) “has been one of our greatest success stories,” said Lines. Nearly 1600 professionals have attended, and four dates were added to meet the demand for this fascinating and timely course. The DISC will continue in 2010 with Colin Sayers’ course, “Geophysics Under Stress: Geomechanical Applications of Seismic and Borehole Acoustic Waves.”

SEG Foundation
The SEG Foundation funds the mission-related programs of SEG, supporting the scientific, educational, and charitable activities that benefit the public, geoscientists, and communities. The success of its major gifts campaign in 2008 helped launch and support vastly critical programs such as scholarships, Projects of Merit, and various student programs.

Another crucial program to come out of the Foundation with global significance is the Geoscientists Without Borders (GWB) program, which focuses on humanitarian applications of geophysics. Lines lauded the program and its far-reaching impact, with five active projects in India, Honduras, Indonesia, and Thailand.

SEG Advanced Modeling project (SEAM)
SEAM is an industrial consortia dedicated to large-scale leading-edge geophysical numerical modeling. SEAM projects will provide the geophysical exploration community with geophysical model data for subsurface geological models at a level of complexity and size that cannot be practicably computed by any single company or small number of companies.

An exciting development for the SEAM project in 2009 was the receipt of a US$2 million award from the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) in June 2009. The award is for “Geophysical Modeling for Studying Acquisition and Processing Methods in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico.” Work has commenced and the project is scheduled to be complete by July 2011.

Another positive outcome for SEG in 2009 is the increased intersociety cooperation. “The joint venture between SEG, SPE, AAPG, and EAGE on the International Petroleum Technology Conference in Kuala Lumpur signifies a new and positive era of collaboration between these Societies,” said Lines, who also noted that SEG has signed an MOU with SPE for similar collaborative efforts in the future.

Concluded Lines, “Some of the best ideas arise from the constraints of adversity, and SEG has more than met the challenges of the past year. Thanks to the great teamwork of the staff, volunteers, and leaders—we’ve made it!”