March 12, 2015, was a historic day for Colombia’s National University and for AAPG student members in Latin America.

Geoscience students, University faculty and administrators, AAPG officers and representatives from Telpico Colombia, LLC, gathered in a colonial-style house on the University campus to commemorate newfound access to Datapages for 50,000 students and faculty in Colombia’s largest university.

In a signing ceremony held at the National University’s Bogotá Campus, Telpico Colombia’s Legal Representative Robert Stewart and National Library Director Sonia Valencia signed an agreement providing a perpetual AAPG Datapages subscription to the institution.

The donation, valued at $15,000 USD, provides access to 145,000 publications from 50 publishers and societies, spanning 100 years. Access is available to students, staff and visitors to National University campuses in Bogotá, Medellín, Manizales and Palmira.

Students from the University’s AAPG Student Chapter organized the ceremony, which included words from Telpico and university representatives, a Datapages demonstration and a reception.

AAPG Chapter President Marcela Mantilla opened the ceremony, thanking Telpico for providing a “gift of knowledge” that will help current and future university students pursue the skills they need to be future leaders.

Mantilla quoted Pakistani teenager and Nobel Peace Prize candidate Malala Yousafzai saying, “There is no weapon more powerful than knowledge, no greater source of knowledge than that of the written word.”

“Day by day, we find ourselves in situations in which we anxiously wait to be the future engines of development and change in our country, to be the next leaders tasked with ending the problems that plague us,” she said. “We express our enormous gratitude to Telpico Colombia for giving us such an invaluable tool for knowledge, both for us and for future students, which represents a direct contribution to the goal we pursue.”

Geosciences Department Director Luz Amalia Ordóñez expressed appreciation both to Telpico as well as geoscience students who worked through complex protocols inherent in the public university to make the donation a reality.

One of those geoscience students, Sergio Herrera, provided an overview of Datapages and showed audience members how to conduct a search.

Catalina Riaño, Telpico geologist who helped coordinate the subscription, said the donation was particularly gratifying to her, a National University alumnus.

“We are proud to support the university’s educational mission and made this small contribution to the entire academic community, to encourage the growth of future professionals, benefitting not only students and professors but also the industry as a whole,” she said. “We are proud to make this donation and we hope that you take full advantage of it.”

After the ceremony, attendees enjoyed a reception sponsored by Telpico Colombia.

Stewart chatted with chapter members and said he hoped that the “modest gift” would provide lasting impact to the university.

The Datapages donation was the brainchild of AAPG Honorary Member Hans Krause, who works as an independent consultant in Venezuela and Colombia.

Krause proposed the idea to Telpico, the Mississippi-based company that arrived in Colombia in 2008 and obtained three exploration blocks in 2010.

“Telpico Colombia decided that it would be in the country for the long term. When you're in a long-term relationship you obviously look out for how you yourself can benefit but you also see how you can make sure the other side benefits from you being there,” he said.

Krause noted that, while the Datapages donation does not provide an immediate financial return on investment, it represents an important gesture of goodwill and commitment to the future of the industry.

“As long as Telpico Colombia is a member of the Colombian oil and gas industry, it is in its own enlightened self-interest to help ensure that the Colombian universities graduate well-trained geologists and engineers. Seen from this perspective, providing the Universidad Nacional de Colombia with the Datapages access is a relatively low-cost, potentially high-impact investment,” he said.

Kurt Bayer, AAPG Latin America Region delegate who assisted student chapter members in finalizing the agreement with the University, said Telpico Colombia’s donation sets a precedent for other businesses.

“One of the most important long-term investments for companies of the petroleum industry is to support the better preparation of students and professionals through initiatives like Datapages and postgraduate studies,” he said. “This is especially important when oil prices are low.”

Krause acknowledged that providing Datapages access to other universities may, or may not be, of interest to all energy companies or to all universities with geoscience programs.

“Each company obviously decides what serves its own interest best,” he said. “Just as such a donation may not suit every oil company, it may also not be right for every university around the world, especially when among staff and students there's little interest in petroleum geology.” Krause noted that the National University of Colombia was an ideal fit for the donation thanks to an interested geology department, an enthusiastic AAPG student chapter and support from Bogotá-based AAPG leadership.

Region President Victor Ramirez, Past-President Miguel Ramirez, Delegate Kurt Bayer, all National University alumni, were present at the ceremony on March 12.

Krause, who could not attend, expressed hope that donations like Telpico’s could increase awareness of Datapages as a tool both for obtaining and for publishing information. He is working with universities and institutions across the Region, encouraging them to submit articles for publication.

“Hopefully Telpico Colombia's Datapages donation will encourage other AAPG members around the world, and especially in Latin America and the Caribbean region, to find ways for other universities to be able to offer this benefit to their students and teachers and, additionally, to enrich Datapages with publications not yet incorporated into the system,” he said.