2009-2010 Executive Committee Announced

5 August—Klaas Koster, senior technical advisor responsible for Apache’s subsurface activities in Forties Field, has been elected President-elect of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. Other newly elected officers for the 2009-10 Executive Committee are David Lumley, First Vice President; John H. Bradford, Second Vice President; Arthur C.H. Cheng, Vice President; Anna Shaughnessy, Secretary-Treasurer; and Vladimir Grechka, Editor.

The new Executive Committee will take office on 29 October 2009, following the final function of SEG’s International Exposition and Seventy-Ninth Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas, USA. Steve Hill, the President-Elect of the 2008-09 Executive Committee, will assume the presidency at that time. The new officers will serve through the 2010 Annual Meeting, at which time Koster will assume the presidency.

Koster holds a doctorate in geophysics from Delft in the Netherlands. His career includes tenures with Amoco, Shell, and Woodside prior to his recent employment by Apache. He has worked at several locations in the United States, Norway, and Australia. He now lives in Aberdeen, Scotland. He has experience in applying sophisticated geophysical techniques on fields all around the world, including such diverse geographical locations as Mexico, Greenland, Nigeria, Peru, New Zealand, Australia, and Great Britain.

Koster joined SEG in 1986 and served as Vice President on the 2003-04 Executive Committee. He was awarded Life Membership by the Society in 2008.

SEG, founded in 1930, now has more than 34 000 members who reside in 130 countries. It is the leading international organization of applied geophysics and its annual meeting has long been unrivaled as the world’s premiere showplace for state-of-the-art geophysical instrumentation and technology.

 

Position statements

Klaas Koster - President-elect

In my discussions with members of the SEG Council, it has become clear that they are keen to play a greater role. At the moment, the agenda for the annual Council meeting is dominated by matters dictated by SEG’s constitution and bylaws. I’m keen to provide additional opportunities for Council members to influence decisions about issues relevant to the members they represent.

As membership becomes more diverse, SEG has to cover an ever-expanding range of geophysical methods at all levels—from simply raising awareness to in-depth discussion. Other societies—like SPE and EAGE, but also CSEG and SEGJ or AGU and NSG—all have material that is relevant to SEG members. This is an opportunity for SEG to efficiently increase its coverage of the entire field. In addition to developing proprietary content, SEG can improve access to relevant activities and content available from other societies.

I have had the privilege to work with dedicated SEG members and staff in many capabilities. It would be an honor to ensure as president that SEG will continue to play a significant role in the life of geophysicists wherever they are located; just as it has in mine.

 

David E. Lumley - First Vice President

Over the past 25 years, it has been my pleasure to donate time and expertise to SEG—whether technical, academic, or business—and I look forward to serving on the executive committee as first vice president should I be elected. My main priorities are:

• Business first. With the dramatic shift in the global economy, there will be big challenges ahead (and thus new opportunities!) for SEG, and I plan to use my business ownership skills to help provide careful stewardship of the Society’s strategic mission and resources.
• Teaching and research. It is imperative that as a Society we continue to enhance the recruiting and development of future scientists and engineers to renew our field. I plan to use my experience and connections as a researcher and educator to assist SEG in its mission to help develop the next generation of geophysicists.
• Energy and environment. As a Society we will increasingly need to get smarter about developing our energy sources (hydrocarbon or otherwise), while simultaneously finding better ways to protect our precious environment. I plan to promote a balanced view of energy and environment within SEG.

John H. Bradford - Second Vice President

Unprecedented challenges face the global society including climate change, water resource depletion, and the critical issue of energy resources. Geophysics is a scientific discipline that will play a crucial role in understanding and finding solutions for many of these problems. I believe that my broad scientific background provides a unique base from which I can draw to communicate the important role of geophysics to government agencies, environmental regulators, and concerned citizens groups. I will:

• Promote the science of applied geophysics within government agencies—an important ongoing effort to ensure that universities have the resources necessary to provide rigorous training for coming generations of geophysicists
• Promote Geoscientists Without Borders and work to facilitate communication and collaboration for this endeavor within academia and our international offices
• Work to strengthen existing ties and build new understanding between industry-based exploration geophysics and the academic community
• Recognize that SEG is truly an international organization and work to strengthen bonds with our sister societies abroad

It is an honor to have been nominated to run for the position of SEG second vice president and, if elected, I will do my utmost to serve the Society well.

Arthur C. H. Cheng - Vice President

SEG’s mission is to promote the science of geophysics and the education of applied geophysicists. There are several initiatives already undertaken by current and previous executive committees, and I look to help continue and expand these initiatives. SEG opened the Beijing office last year, and will open other regional offices in the near future. We need to provide support to make sure these offices serve the needs of our global membership. In particular, we need to organize more international meetings, workshops, and continuing education courses. We have done very well with our Honorary Lecture program, but more work still needs to be done, especially with regard to continuing education short courses. I was involved with the formation of SEAM, and we are beginning to see the results of that effort. I will work to continue and expand cooperative geophysical research through such efforts.

 

 

Anna Shaughnessy - Secretary-Treasurer

The last two years of active participation on SEG committees have given me a great appreciation for what the Society does, how it does it, and what new opportunities and challenges lay ahead. I have taken great pleasure in helping to drive several key SEG initiatives and have truly enjoyed working with many dedicated fellow Society members.

During this work, I have also been reminded that the success of any team effort depends greatly on the commitment and energy of each team member. I am honored to be nominated for secretary-treasurer of SEG and would look forward to committing the time and effort necessary for this position, should I be elected. The current global economic environment makes it essential that we as a Society understand our financial commitments, our strategy, and goals for the future. We need to ensure that we remain in a strong financial position in order to fulfill our aspiration to “Advancing geophysics today—inspiring geoscientists for tomorrow.”

 

Vladimir Grechka - Editor

Having been on the Geophysics editorial board for eight years, I am honored to be nominated as SEG editor. If elected, I will use my knowledge and experience to focus on the following objectives during the next two years:

• Maintaining the reputation of Geophysics as a world-class technical journal
• Further reducing turnaround time and making Geophysics more user-friendly for readers, authors, and editors
• Continuing the efforts of previous SEG editors to attract papers from SEG membership and outside on a broad range of subjects of applied geophysics
• Promoting supplements, special issues, and sections of Geophysics and stimulating cross-fertilization between different disciplines