Societies and Divisions
Division of Environmental Geosciences
Anyone who is interested in what the Division of Environmental Geosciences (DEG) is all about can visit the DEG Web site at http://deg.aapg.org/. There you will find useful information about the Division, its committees, etc. Below is a short summary of our mission statement and purpose:
The purpose of the DEG includes.
- EDUCATING the membership of AAPG and the general public about important issues that affect petroleum energy minerals exploration and production.
- COMMUNICATING to the general public and government agencies the Association’s commitment to protect the environment while developing the world’s natural resources in a responsible manner.
- APPLYING the expertise developed in the petroleum/energy minerals industries and hydrogeology to resolve environmental problems.
- PROMOTING environmental self-regulation within the petroleum/energy minerals industries.
- PROVIDING relevant educational opportunities and services for professional development of the AAPG membership through seminars and conferences in environmental geosciences, hydrogeology, and related fields.
But, hey, enough of this same old boring propaganda. Every group or organization has a mission statement, and although it may brush upon the purpose of an organization, these statements usually don’t do much about telling someone what the people in the organization are really like, or what the group in reality does. Yes, the DEG does strive to accomplish all of the bullet points above, but the real story, and the greatest part of belonging to the DEG is how much fun we have working together to accomplish these bullet points. That is after all why most of us really belong to organizations. Sure, we may join an organization to learn new things and to help us grow as professionals, but we also join them for the camaraderie, friendships and relationships we develop with other members. You will find the DEG a great place to do both.
You will also find that the DEG is a group of very diverse geoscientists and professionals who have a very wide range of interests and specialties. Many members work in the oil and gas industry, many work at universities or perhaps in consulting and some for the government. Most members are geoscientists by education, but not all, and many of us are involved working on the fringes of traditional oil and gas company roles as hydrologists, hydrogeologists, geochemists or maybe as near surface geophysicists. We apply the tools of our trade in the energy industry in many different ways. It may be in restoring or preserving the environment, water resources, or the research of potential CO2 sequestration targets. One thing we all have in common is the desire to grow as professionals and to pass on what we have learned to other AAPG geoscientists and to anyone else who may benefit or want to learn more about what we do.
Many DEG members are from outside the United States and recently we have made great strides to move the DEG onto the global stage by forming a European DEG presence. We are working to expand this to the Asia-Pacific, Africa and Latin Regions as well.
The DEG has also requested and received an approval by the AAPG Executive Committee to establish a formal association with the Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society (EEGS) which will allow us to share common meetings and publications with a like-minded group of geoscientists and geophysicists.
All in all, the AAPG/DEG, as a Division is small in numbers, but large in the diversification of the knowledge and interests of its members. Because we are a small group, we try not to get too wrapped up with the self importance of who we are, or where we work, or what we may be working on. We don’t place a lot of importance to our job titles or our levels of education. We simply strive to try to make learning and sharing new things a fun experience. We work hard to try to educate others so that they may understand the importance of what we do and on how we apply the tools of our diverse knowledge and expertise to find solutions to many of the environmental problems facing the energy industry. I recommend to those of you who don’t yet belong to the DEG and are interested in expanding the tools in your current geo-scientific or professional toolbox, and you want to have fun doing it, to consider taking a look at joining the DEG.