AAPG’s Asia Pacific Region comprises members living in a geographically large and complex area drawn from the most ethnically and culturally diverse area of the Earth; it includes the “stans” in the west (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan), the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, north Asia – including China, Korea and Japan – together with Oceania (PNG, Australia, New Zealand).
AAPG’s Asia Pacific Region comprises members living in a geographically large and complex area drawn from the most ethnically and culturally diverse area of the Earth; it includes the “stans” in the west (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan), the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, north Asia – including China, Korea and Japan – together with Oceania (PNG, Australia, New Zealand).
The region also is home to half of Earth’s population with three of the four most populous countries (China, India and Indonesia; the United States is number three) and seven of the top 12. Economies within the region are heterogeneous; they are mostly emerging markets experiencing rapid growth, the envy of those to the west – we certainly don’t suffer from the economic problems currently being endured by the “old” world.
It is certainly fitting that AAPG’s next International Conference and Exhibition will be held in the heart of the region this year, at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Complex, Singapore, Sept. 16-19.
An organizing committee has been working with Tulsa staff since 2010 planning the event, and a great technical program (400-plus oral and poster presentations) comprising the latest advances in conventional and unconventional resources has been put together.
The technical program is supported by field trips to some of the classic areas of South East Asian geology , short courses and an exhibition displaying industry’s latest and greatest.
In the Region, we are only too aware of our aging membership and are nurturing the wonderful potential resource of our students; the Region has 26 active student chapters, the largest and most active of the whole AAPG.
In this context, it was particularly pleasing to see Khon Kaen University, Thailand, take second prize in this year’s Imperial Barrel Award. This effort is even more remarkable given that the students had traveled half way around the world and was the first time they had spoken in public (due to the tyrannies of distance and costs, Asia Pacific finals are held via an online platform).
AAPG is trying hard to increase its profile in the Region. In recent years it has held Geosciences Technology Workshops (GTWs) and short courses in Australia, Indonesia and Singapore – several of these have been in collaboration with sister societies.
AAPG’s GTWs deliver up-to-date technical content to members and the industry, and are a flagship product of excellence and one of the things that distinguish us from other societies. Several are in various stages of gestation and we are looking at new locations within the region to hold them. Any help/ideas for new events are warmly welcomed.
A single employee in Singapore, a regional council and an essential cadre of dedicated volunteers serve the members of the vast and disparate Region (see a snapshot of Asia-Pacific region); more help is urgently needed and we would welcome new faces to take us to new heights.
To volunteer, please contact us through the website, or email Adrienne Pereira in Singapore.