It’s show time! Science, creative thought and cutting-edge technology are going to be the stars for this month’s AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition in Long Beach, Calif.
Creative exploration concepts, cutting-edge technology and expert industry assessments from every corner of the earth provide the foundation for the next AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, set April 22-25 in Long Beach, Calif.
A comprehensive technical program comprising more than 1,100 oral and poster presentations, field trips and short courses has been built on the theme “Directing the Future of E&P – Starring Creative Ideas and New Technology.”
It’s all about sharing the science.
“Progress is all about communication and collaboration,” said ACE general chair Kay Pitts. “There are no substitutes for face-to-face communication to achieve real rapport and understanding.
“Sharing information and collaborating is what pushes us forward,” she added. “This is why we gather and have conventions.”
Much of the information sharing will occur on the exhibits hall floor, where more than 200 exhibitors will be sharing the latest information in technology and science, and where you’ll find this year’s International Pavilion, featuring representatives from around the world who are there to discuss global exploration opportunities.
And much more information sharing certainly will occur via the extensive technical program that’s built on 11 themes, with presentations ranging from emerging frontiers to unconventional resources to active oil fields to structural geology and neotectonics.
This year, activities for all attendees actually will begin earlier than usual – specifically, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 22, when for the first time ever the live announcement of the winning team for this year’s Imperial Barrel Award competition will be open for all to attend. The event will be in the Grand Ballroom, right before the start of the opening session and awards ceremony.
Other special events set for Long Beach include:
♦ Three forums, including the annual History of Geology Forum, set from 1-3:10 p.m. Sunday, April 22, which this year will have an international scope, with talks on:
- Sir Roderick I Murchison, aka “King of Siluria,” and his Geological Trip to Poland in 1843.
- Birth of Oil Industry in the Northern Carpathians.
- The Dawn of Petroleum Geology in the Middle East: A Case Study of George Bernard Reynolds in Iran and Max Steineke in Saudi Arabia.
- The First Venezuelan Geological Oil Map: The Ralph Arnold History 1911-1916.
- Study on Hydrocarbon Accumulation Regularity of Hydrocarbon-Rich Depression in Bohai Sea, China.
♦ This year’s Michel T. Halbouty Lecture, set at 5:10 p.m. Monday, April 23, featuring John Grotzinger talking about “Mars Science Laboratory Rover Mission: The Search for Source Rocks.”
♦ Ticketed luncheons, including:
- The All-Convention luncheon, on Monday, April 23, featuring J. Robinson “Robin” West, founder and chairman of PFC Energy, discussing “The Future of Global Deepwater After Macondo.”
- The Division of Professional Affairs-Professional Women in Earth Sciences joint luncheon, on Tuesday, April 24, featuring Sally Benson, director of the Global Climate and Energy Project at Stanford University, speaking on “Following Your Convictions: Even When the Going Gets Tough,” and Sharon Mosher, dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin, speaking on “Building a Diverse and Sustainable Geoscience Work Force.” (See story, page 52.)
- The Division of Environmental Geosciences luncheon, on Wednesday, April 25, featuring Steve Leifer speaking on “Hydraulic Fracturing: Separating Myth From Reality.” (See March EXPLORER.)
- The Energy Minerals Division luncheon, also on Wednesday, April 25, featuring AAPG member and award winner M. Lee Allison, and Irish journalist and documentary filmmaker Ann McElhinney, talking about “Geothermal Exploration: Everything Digital, Online and Interoperable.”
♦ A special showing of the new feature-length film “Switch,” a movie featuring past AAPG president Scott Tinker, which asks the question: What will it really take to make the transition from oil and coal to alternative energy sources? The movie will screen at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, at the Cinemark at the Pike 99 theatre.