Four AAPG Student Chapters came together April 4th at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario for AAPG Ontario Student Chapter Day. Students from McMaster University, Queen’s University, Western University, and the University of Toronto attended a half day of activities organized by the Student Chapter Liaisons of the Canada Region. The event was also attended by Professor Janok Bhattacharya, sequence stratigraphy professor and the McMaster student chapter’s faculty advisor.

The morning portion of the event included presentations from the current chapter liaisons, Kevin Jackson (2012-2015), and Meriem Grifi (2011-2015), along with incoming chapter liaison Carla Dickson (2015-2018). The liaisons talked about the benefits of being part of AAPG, as well as scholarships, grants, and networking opportunities available through the organization. This was followed by a short presentation by Meriem Grifi on transitioning into the work place. Professor Janok Bhattacharya also introduced his research and encouraged the students to stay active in the AAPG.

With a pizza lunch in hand, students settled in to watch the SWITCH energy documentary, followed by a short discussion of some of the more interesting aspects of the movie. The student chapters each received a copy of the SWITCH DVD to take back to their schools and use for future events.

Towards the end of the day, students asked lots of questions of each of the speakers and seemed really keen on learning what was important and not as significant in preparing themselves for careers in the oil and gas industry. All agreed, this was the most informative part of the day!