This month’s column takes a look at what possibly could be an exciting new step for AAPG and the way we provide the best in science for our members, and in putting it together I asked AAPG President-Elect Lee Krystinik, an important person in this new initiative, to help in the writing.
Pittsburgh, the famed City of Bridges, will be the site of this year’s AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition – the first time the city has hosted a national AAPG event.
This month’s column takes a look at what possibly could be an exciting new step for AAPG and the way we provide the best in science for our members, and in putting it together I asked AAPG President-Elect Lee Krystinik, an important person in this new initiative, to help in the writing.
Petroleum geology is an integrative science – and as my column suggested last month, the most effective explorationists are those who integrate information from many different scientific disciplines and sub-disciplines of petroleum geology into their prospects.
It is critical, then, for AAPG leaders and staff to search for new ways to infuse fresh scientific content into AAPG publications and events, making our members more effective finders and developers of oil and natural gas.
Last year, AAPG was approached by a group of geologists who requested formal AAPG recognition. They are the Petroleum Structure and Geomechanics Group (PSGG), and since about 1996 they have met informally at each AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition.
Perhaps you’ve heard of this group; perhaps you know of their work even if you’ve NOT heard of them. For example, you might recall the very successful and applauded November 2009 theme issue of the AAPG BULLETIN, “Occurrence and Significance of Fractures in Reservoirs;” that issue was the result of a Hedberg Conference put together by members of the PSGG.
The PSGG now desires formal recognition from AAPG in order to grow and continue as a science content provider for AAPG. They want to hold Hedberg Research Conferences and Geotechnical Workshops, publish papers and books, teach short courses and lead field trips.
After examining AAPG’s bylaws, we on the Executive Committee have concluded the best way to provide the formal recognition the group requests – and the best way to bring PSGG into AAPG – would be as a new division.
In February the EC approved the request by PSGG to become a new division of AAPG.
The measure is subject to a vote of the AAPG House of Delegates , but no change in AAPG’s Bylaws is required to form the new PSGG division.
The new PSGG division proposes to have a chair and vice chair. They will propose an annual budget subject to approval by the EC and will work within the present AAPG structure to accomplish goals that advance our science.
As proposed, this new division is not a significant financial cost to AAPG – but as is the case with the other divisions, funding will come from AAPG along with the expectation that the new division will generate technical product that will be marketable and help return a significant percentage of any cost incurred, all while furthering our science.
The broader intent of this measure is to focus the diverse technical communities within AAPG toward generating scientific product for the advancement of our science, and in direct support of our members’ needs for new ideas and concepts toward finding more oil and gas.
Importantly, the proposed division is part of an ongoing effort to more directly link AAPG’s activities to our primary goals and directives. The EC endorses the new division as well as the concept of potential additional divisions to better serve the diverse technical interests of our membership.
This approach is consistent with most other major geoscience organizations globally, where the number of technical divisions may exceed 10-20 (although we do not envision so many divisions within AAPG).
We and the other EC members are excited about adding the Petroleum Structure and Geomechanics Group to AAPG as a new division. We are just as excited about the possibility of adding other technical interest groups to AAPG as new divisions and infusing fresh scientific content into AAPG publications and activities.
We also look forward to see and hear from you in Pittsburgh at the AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition this month.