Houston 2009 Annual Meeting
SEG’s 79th Annual Meeting promises innovation
Linda Holeman, Associate Editor, The Leading Edge
Industry in the doldrums? Not this week!
Geoscience professionals from across the globe will convene in the oil industry’s epicenter as Houston, USA, hosts the 79th Annual Meeting of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists 26—30 October.
Steve Emery, SEG’s manager of meetings and conferences, says that advanced registration has been healthy, and the demand for booth space has been vigorous. SEG also expects an upsurge in attendance by its international members, who comprise 60% of the Society’s membership. This expectation is bolstered by the fact that 38% of attendees at last year’s meeting in Las Vegas, USA, were from outside the United States.
Industry-spanning innovation
SEG’s Annual Meeting continues as the most valuable resource to the oil and gas, mining, environmental, and near-surface geophysical industries. Price volatility, climate concerns, and the geopolitical spectrum demand innovation, and the International Exhibition is where to find it. This year’s Exhibition will feature more than 300 companies from around the globe showcasing the latest in technology, research, and resources; many of these companies are start-ups exhibiting for the first time.
Student-focused
SEG’s Student Membership has seen explosive growth, and University and Student Programs are a key focus of the Annual Meeting. The society has teamed with sponsors to deliver state-of-the art leadership and applied education programs such as the SEG/Chevron Student Leadership Symposium (SLS) and the SEG/ExxonMobil Student Education Program (SEP). Also on tap are a variety of networking and career placement activities. Students from all over the world are also competing in the fourth annual Challenge Bowl, a geo-trivia contest that awards travel grants and cash prizes to the winners.
Aggressive technical program
The Houston Technical Program will be the largest on record for an SEG meeting, with 600 presentations, 250 poster sessions, and 18 workshops over four days. Topically, the program covers every aspect of applied geophysics, from the most theoretical aspects of wave propagation and algorithm development to very practical demonstrations of geophysical methods and case studies.
An exciting new direction for the technical program this year is the increased emphasis on poster sessions. Poster sessions are a dynamic and integral part of the technical program, and this year the focus will enable more interaction between authors and listeners as well as provide more varied technical content. A brand-new innovation will be a “poster theater” adjacent to the poster sessions where slide shows highlighting upcoming poster papers will be prominently displayed.
The Technical Program is augmented by a diverse professional development line-up, starting with the Distinguished Instructor Short Course (DISC), “Petroleum Geoengineering: Integration of Static and Dynamic Models” by Patrick Corbett of Heriot-Watt University. Delegates also can select from 13 continuing education courses covering an array of relevant topics, from marine electromagnetic methods to seismic anisotropy to Gaussian-beam migration.
Free to delegates is the Applied Science Education program. This year’s program, “Extreme Geophysics: From exploring Maya ruins to an Arctic Mars Colony” features Rob Stewart, who holds the Cullen Chair in Exploration Geophysics at the University of Houston and is director of its Allied Geophysical Lab.
Expanded abstracts for all presentations in the official technical program will be available on DVD.
SEG Forum: The State of Energy R&D
The SEG Forum Series is renowned for bringing together recognized experts from across the spectrum to discuss topics of vital importance to the industry today. This year’s Forum addresses the current state of industry R&D, its intersections with the significant changes, and new investments occurring on the larger energy landscape. Chaired by Donald Paul, executive director of the USC Energy Institute, this year’s Forum features the following distinguished speakers: John McDonald, vice president and CTO, Chevron; C. Michael Ming, president, Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA); Raymond Lee Orbach, director of the Energy Institute, The University of Texas at Austin; Paul; Bob Pavey, Partner, Morgenthaler Ventures; and Bob Peebler, CEO, ION.
Global Theatre
SEG’s International Showcase is known as “The Global Meeting Place.” This year, the Showcase will feature more than 20 presentations and offer a unique opportunity for technical exchange, business development, and networking. In conjunction with the Global Theatre, there will 30 booths in the International Showcase to explore. Each year, the International Showcase designates an area of the world on which to focus and provide insight into addressing technical challenges specific to the region. This year’s Global Theatre highlights “The Middle East—Back to the Future.” This region’s significance to the industry cannot be overstated, and the Global Theatre features well-recognized and distinguished speakers from academia, national oil companies, energy service firms, and government agencies in the Middle East.
Be there
One-day registration is US$245 for members and $325 for nonmembers. Onsite registration for the full program is $599 for members and $699 for nonmembers. The Icebreaker, Wednesday night social event, and the SEG Forum are open to the public for $60.
