Welcome from Chairman Energy Flowing from Innovation On behalf of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, the San Antonio Geophysical Society, the SEG 2011 Steering Committee and the many diligent volunteers, I invite you to San Antonio, Texas, 18-23 September 2011, to attend the International Exposition and 81st Annual Meeting of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. We invite you to come and experience the many changes in San Antonio since 2007: new award-winning restaurants, hotels, and entertainment in the downtown area. Or discover the flow of the new Museum Reach of the Riverwalk via river taxi or walking trail as it takes you from downtown to the San Antonio Museum of Art and, ultimately, to the newly redeveloped Pearl Brewery complex. The Pearl has shopping, wonderful new restaurants, and the recently opened Culinary Institute of America-San Antonio, with its CIA Bakery Café. It is my pleasure to introduce the Steering Committee and our planned schedule. The annual Golf Tournament is organized by Patrick Talamas La Cantera, Palmer Course. Tee-off will be Saturday morning before the official convention opening. Transportation, continental breakfast, lunch, contests, and door prizes will make for an enjoyable day at a beautiful and challenging golf course. The convention opens with the Sunday evening Icebreaker. Thanks to Exhibitor Chairwoman Kendall Thomas, you will be able to preview the many exhibits while visiting with colleagues, old and new. In addition, please be aware that international exhibitors, previously in the International Showcase, will be located throughout the Exhibit Hall this year. We will start Monday morning with the SEG Forum, chaired by Hank Hamilton. The forum title is "Exploration Frontiers: Geography, Technology and Business Models." Recent discoveries around the globe have flowed from exploration innovations in new geographic areas, technology, and business models. Forum panelists from an international geophysical service company and U.S., European and national oil companies will offer their perspectives on what's ahead in exploration. The Technical Program, chaired by Sergey Fomel, begins Monday afternoon. Sergey has received a record number (the second highest) of submissions. His committee is working hard organizing the oral and poster sessions as of this writing. New to the Technical Program this year are two Global Sessions, North American and Caribbean, organized by Chairman David Pitcher. These sessions will integrate the former Global Theater into the Technical Program. There will be 17 workshops following the technical sessions. Also following the technical sessions, General Vice-chairman, Steve Hale, has organized a general-interest field trip, "Water and Man: Geology and History of San Antonio and Its Missions" on Thursday afternoon. Thomas Ewing is the creator and leader of the trip, which details the influence of geology on the history and development of San Antonio. New this year, Tuesday evening will combine the Honors and Awards Program and the Presidential Reception. We are very excited about Wednesday's Applied Science Education Program, chaired by Alf Hawkins. Celina Suarez and Marina Suarez will inspire high school students with their presentation of "Walking with Dinosaurs and other Critters through the Cretaceous Greenhouse World and into the Future." Come and learn how these two San Antonio natives journeyed from digging up limestone in their backyard to having a new species of dinosaur bear their name. The Wednesday Night Event at Sunset Station, "Viva! Old Mexico Meets Texas," with Steve Hale in charge, will be a whole lot of fun with themed food, music, and entertainment. Join us in a unique celebration of San Antonio. The Spouse Program is under the direction of Donna Weidemann. She has organized three seminars, included in the spouse registration, and four tours, each with an associated charge. The Spouse Luncheon will be on Tuesday and will feature entertainment by a wandering female mariachi band. Sponsorship Chairman Roger Espinosa and the SEG staff are doing a great job raising support for the various meeting events. Our sponsors are vital to the success of the many services and events at the Annual Meeting. Please express your appreciation for their support. Finally, volunteers work behind the scenes to help with many aspects of the meeting. Volunteer Chairman Rick Moran is seeking 125 volunteers to help with technical sessions and other events. Please visit the SEG Web site www.seg.org/amvolunteer for information on how you can help to make 2011 San Antonio a great convention. For more information on these items as well as current 2011 San Antonio information, go to www.seg.org/am. Your SEG 2011 Steering Committee is excited to see you again in San Antonio! Sincerely, Ken Helm
General Chairman | 
