Vice President, Sections

John M. Armentrout

Skip to: Why I accepted the invitation to be a candidate for AAPG Office

Cascade Stratigraphics Inc., Geologist, Damascus, Ore.

Born 1942, Portland, Ore.

Academic Degrees

1964

BS, biology/chemistry, University of Oregon

1965

BS, geology, University of Oregon

1966

MS, geology, University of Oregon

1973

PhD, geology, University of Washington

Experience

2000-present

Cascade Stratigraphics, teaching and consulting geologist, Damascus, Ore.

1973-2000

Mobil Oil Corp., Denver and Dallas

1992-2000

E&P Technical Services, deepwater exploration consultant

1990-92

Research and Development Center, sequence stratigraphy team

1988-90

New Exploration Ventures, staff geologist

1985-88

Deepwater Clastics Task Force, team member

1982-85

Alaska Exploration, OCS sales and North Slope supervisor

1979-82

E&P Technical Services, global basin analysis

1977-78

Oklahoma Production, field evaluation

1973-77

Alaska Exploration, field geologist and OCS sales

AAPG Activities (member 1971; DEG Charter Member; DPA since 1978)

2006-08

AAPG ‘PROWESS’ Committee for Women in Geoscience

2005-08

Geo-DC Board of Governors, Committee on Research (chair) and associate editor for AAPG BULLETIN

2004-06

AAPG Short Course instructor for Deepwater Clastics

2003-06

DPA Councilor for Pacific Section

2002-08

International Distinguished Lecture Committee

1992-96

Associate editor for AAPG BULLETIN

1992-93

Distinguished Lecturer

1990-2002

Visiting Geologist Program

1990-95

Convention Committee (chair 1991-95)

1982-83

Convention Coordination Committee

1981-83

Pacific Northwest Regional Coordinator for COSUNA Project

1980-90

Research Committee (Grants-In-Aid subcommittee chair 1985-90)

Affiliated and Associated Societies and Sections

2006-present

SIPES

2003-present

AAPG Pacific Section

2000-present

Northwest Energy Association

1998-2002

Ocean Drilling Program (Petroleum Industry representative)

1987-present

Gulf Coast Section SEPM (president 1993)

1985-present

Society for Sedimentary Geology (secretary-treasurer 1985-86; president 1996-97); Geological Society of America (1995 Fellow)

1978-2000

Dallas Geological Society

1973-78

Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists

1970-73

AAPG Pacific Section

 

Honors and Awards

2003

Honorary Member Society for Sedimentary Geology

1999

Honorary Member Gulf Coast Section SEPM

1998

Houston Geological Society Technical Symposium Best Paper Award

1997

Dallas Geological Society Research Award

1996

A.I. Levorsen Award, Southwest Section AAPG

1995

AAPG Certificate of Merit

1991

Ziad Beydoun Memorial International Poster Award

1985

Pacific Section AAPG Denali Award for Best Presentation

Publications

Publications include papers on: Gulf of Mexico Neogene sequence stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, geochemistry and seismic facies analysis; North Sea Paleogene sequence stratigraphy; and Gulf of Mexico and Niger Delta gravity-flow depositional systems.

John B. Curtis

Skip to: Why I accepted the invitation to be a candidate for AAPG Office

Professor of Geology and Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colo.

Born 1948, Middletown, Ohio

Academic Degrees

1970

B.A., Geology, Miami University

1972

M.S., Geology, Miami University

1989

Ph.D., Geology, Ohio State University

Experience

1991-present

U.S. Potential Gas Committee, executive director

1990-present

CSM Potential Gas Agency, associate director and director; Associate Professor and Professor, Colorado School of Mines (CSM), Golden, Colo.

1989-present

Geological and geochemical consulting, Englewood, Colo.

1986-88

Exlog-Baker Hughes/Brown & Ruth Laboratories, basin analyst/project manager, Englewood, Colo.

1980-85

Columbia Gas System, senior research geologist, Columbus, Ohio

1977-79

SAIC, staff petroleum geologist, Morgantown, W.Va

1976-77

Texaco, petroleum geologist, New Orleans

1972-75

United States Air Force, officer

Honors and Awards

• Colorado School of Mines, Class of December 1993, May 2000, December 2001 Alumni Association Outstanding Faculty Awards;
• Co-recipient, Vincent E. Nelson Memorial Award, best poster, Eastern Section AAPG, 1996

Affiliated and Associated Societies and Sections

• Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists: Counselor, 2002-04;
• Technical session convenor, RMS-AAPG 2004 and several previous RMAG natural gas conferences;
• Associate editor, Mountain Geologist, 1996-present (Guest Editor, Vol. 34, No.1, Natural Gas in the Rockies);
• Co-editor, RMAG Guidebook Gas Shale in the Rocky Mountains and Beyond, 2005-present;
• Delegate to AAPG, 1995-present.

Other Professional Organizations

• Professional Geologist, Wyoming (PG-3256); AIPG (CPG #4717);
• Colorado Geological Survey Advisory Committee, 1995-99 (co-chair, 1997);
• Research Committee of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC), 1995-present;
• IOGCC Blue Ribbon Task Force on Education of Petroleum Professionals, 2001-03;
• Expert natural gas supply panelist and workshop planner, National Research Council of The National Academies, 2003, 2005-06;
• Gas Technology Institute (previously GRI): Member, vice-chair and chair of three advisory bodies, 1993-2001;
• Volunteer Scientist, USGS, 1999-present; SPE, Geochemical Society;
• European Association of Organic Geochemists

AAPG Activities (member 1976, EMD)

1992-present

Faculty co-adviser, CSM Student Chapter

1993-present

Committee on Resource Evaluation

1993-95

House of Delegates alternate

1995-present

House of Delegates; Nominations & Elections Committee, 2003-04

1994-2005

Technical session convenor, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005 Annual Conventions

1993-2003

Jules Braunstein Award Judge, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003 Annual Conventions

1997-present

Associate editor, AAPG BULLETIN

2000-03

Committee on Research

1998-2004

Co-chair, Unconventional Petroleum Systems Committee

2002

Co-editor, AAPG BULLETIN Unconventional Petroleum Systems theme issue

Publications

Recent topics include North American natural gas supply and demand; generation, migration and entrapment of hydrocarbons in the United States and Poland; fractured shale gas reservoirs

Return to: Biographical Information

Why I accepted the invitation to be a candidate for AAPG Office

by John M. Armentrout

I would be honored to accept a leadership role in AAPG. Serving on the Executive Committee would provide an opportunity to directly support a shared vision toward fulfilling AAPG’s Strategic Plan that includes a broad spectrum of membership services.

As a consultant the past five years I have gained a better understanding of exploration issues for independent and non-major companies that helps balance my perspective gained from 26 years with a major oil company.

Most of my involvement in AAPG and its affiliate SEPM, have been directed toward technical programs and student support. I believe that the issue of global climate change provides AAPG with an opportunity for elements of its technical program and as an outreach issue on university campuses.

Global climate changes through time as part of the natural evolution of earth systems. Most of the current climate change is a long-term warming trend from the last glacial phase to the present, punctuated with shorter duration cycles of warming and cooling. However, carefully researched data clearly documents that society is impacting the rate of global warming with a potential consequence of increased storm intensity.

Coastal subsidence and rising global sea level increases the vulnerability of many refineries and NGL import facilities to major storm events. Katrina and Rita (USA), Monica (Australia), Namtheun (Japan) and Catarina (Brazil) clearly demonstrated that vulnerability. AAPG should take a proactive role in communicating to the general public industry’s efforts for sustaining the energy flow for society. The Division of Environmental Geosciences has endorsed a proposal for a session to address this issue at the 2008 San Antonio convention, an effort I helped initiate and will continue to encourage within each AAPG Section and Region.

AAPG has carefully considered how to address the issue of scientific validity of mass media stories about climate change, its causes and prudent responses. Sustaining the Geo-DC office initiative begun in 2005 is part of that response in the United States – an AAPG initiative I have and will continue to actively support.

Additionally, the petroleum industry and AAPG need to continue encouraging students to pursue a career in exploration and production. Increased use of ethanol and biodiesel are often encouraged as one avenue to mitigate global warming while economies transition to alternative and sustainable fuels. For every bushel of corn used for the production of ethanol approximately one-half gallon of hydrocarbon is used to produce the necessary fertilizers. This is just one of more than 3,000 uses of petroleum.

Exploration for and production of petroleum-based energy and petrochemical resources will continue, sustaining employment for currently practicing geoscientists and providing encouragement for additional generations of petroleum geologists, geophysicists and engineers. AAPG must continue to perform a highly active role in outreach to students through support of student chapters, programs for funding university research, the Visiting Geologist Program, student research ‘expos’, AAPG’s Grants-in-Aid program, and sustaining the industry funding of student membership in AAPG.

Serving on the Executive Committee would facilitate my role in supporting and expanding the above initiatives. I would welcome an enlarged responsibility to AAPG’s global community.

Return to: Biographical Information

Why I accepted the invitation to be a candidate for AAPG Office

by John B. Curtis

Don’t Even Think About Volunteering … Wise words or merely a reflection of a somewhat inward focus? I do not agree with the sentiment – one must be a bit selective! I choose to work and volunteer within our industry and professional society.

I spent 15 years with various companies before entering “academic life” (with a continuing healthy dose of consulting). Fortunately, I joined an applied university. For the last 16 years, I have been privileged to direct a group of 150 volunteer geoscientists – the Potential Gas Committee (PGC). We work together to assess the remaining U.S. natural gas resource base on a geological basis, and to compile information on important ancillary issues such as access to federal lands and offshore development concerns. The committee has published their work every two years since 1964, and is now the only organization making U.S. gas resource assessments on a regular basis.

There are certainly joys, as well as challenges, in being and working with volunteers. The resource assessments by these dedicated men and women are for basins and plays they work for a living. Their time is limited – especially these days – which makes their efforts doubly appreciated. The PGC members (and other geologists I have met through AAPG) understand that some things are just so important that time must be found to work together to improve our common lot. In my case, this also includes working on AAPG activities.

When I joined AAPG 30 years ago, I had brown hair, slipped logs to try and get a clue about the subsurface, sat wells every weekend (or so it seemed) and interstate gas was regulated at 23 cents/Mcf. How I and our industry have changed! I was honored to be nominated by my colleagues to be a candidate for the office of Vice President, Sections.

My age puts me square in the middle of the large group of older members that have much left to do in their professional careers – but also a responsibility to encourage and prepare the way for younger members, and perhaps to get out of the way as new leaders emerge.

As an adviser to the Colorado School of Mines AAPG student chapter, I observe the enthusiasm of new geoscientists. These students are more inquisitive than I remember being at their age. They are critically evaluating petroleum geology as a potential career – especially concerning the elusive notion of job security and more importantly, job satisfaction.

I do not have much difficulty signing them up for AAPG Student membership, particularly in my classes– after all, membership has been free lately! What will retain them as productive AAPG members and effective geologists is a clearer sense of the benefits of AAPG membership and the joys of our profession.

On their part, I believe our new members have a responsibility to become and remain professionals. This involves adherence to ethical behavior, continuing education (although we still slip logs as required), networking for the common good and advancement of our knowledge – all core values of our AAPG.

Oh, and yes, to volunteer when a need is identified!