2015 Middle East Young Professionals & Students Summit

The Young Professionals & Students (YPS) Summit is an AAPG organized event which aims to enhance the transfer of knowledge between young individuals engaged within the industry. It provides a valuable opportunity for students and young professionals to build communication and leadership skills, while networking with fellow geoscientists from across the region. This year’s YPS Summit was held together with the Imperial Barrel Award (IBA) Competition in Muscat, Oman from 17-18 March 2015. The program of activities included a one day field trip which was led by the Geological Society of Oman (GSO), a meet and greet session with industry professionals and a half day tour of the city of Muscat.

Geology Field Trip

The field trip took place on the 17th March with the group of students, faculty advisers and young professionals departing from the Ramada Hotel early in the morning after a short HSE briefing by GSO.

The itinerary for the day included the following:

Drive to Al Amrat to view Hiyam Dolomite and Amdeh Formation
Drive to Wadi AlMayh to view mega sheath folds and Mahil Dolomite
A chance to explore the most famous ophiolite in the world

The YPSS opened with a field trip to view Hiyam Dolomite and Amdeh Formation as well as the mega sheath folds and Mahil Dolomite.

Meet & Greet Session

The meet & greet session was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on the evening of the 17th March after the field trip. The aim of the evening was to encourage networking amongst the participants and also allow them to interact and ask questions to experts from within the industry. Each of the industry professionals spent seven minutes at each table answering questions and sharing their experiences from within the industry. The program for the evening also included an inspiring presentation by Sa’id Al-Hajri, President of the AAPG Middle East Regional Council on ‘The 10 Essential Factors for Leading a Happy and Successful Career’. The evening concluded with dinner and a fun team building game which encouraged the participants to interact and get to know one and other.

Following the field trip, students met with other participants at a "meet and greet" session at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

City Tour

On the final day of the summit the participants enjoyed a half day city tour of Muscat and took in the sights of the Grand Mosque and the Al Alam Palace. The Summit concluded with lunch and a small award ceremony at the PDO Oil and Gas Centre during which all participants were thanked for their efforts and each faculty advisor was presented with a small gift of appreciation.

“It was such a great privilege to be part of AAPG's YPS Summit in Muscat, Oman. I met and made friends with many of the young professionals from different universities and different cultures who were all majoring in the same field of study as me. I was also stunned by how incredible and outstanding the geology of Oman was when visiting the different locations during the field trip. Sa’id A;-Hajri’s presentation and the discussions with experienced professionals from the industry has opened my eyes to many things, including new cultures, the real meaning of happiness and success, and building ourselves and our career. I wished these good times would not to come to an end, but as they say many others are awaiting for us. Thank you so much for hosting me and for this memorable experience.”

Ayesha Nasser Al-Khouri
Petroleum Institute, UAE

“As Geology students at the American University of Beirut, we were honored to be given the chance to attend the 2015 AAPG Summit in Muscat, during which we were fascinated by the amazing geology of Oman, from folds, to faults, to source rocks, to reservoirs, to hydrocarbons and much more to count. More importantly we were taken to see the well-preserved Semail ophiolite complex of Oman. There was also a great speech by the fabulous Sa’id Al-Hajri, who taught us about the ways of success which was very motivating and well-prepared. Moreover, we thoroughly enjoyed meeting both young and experienced professionals from the geoscience field who shared their very valuable experiences with us and listened patiently to our endless questions. Thank you to the AAPG community for this well-organized, generous, entertaining and beneficial Summit. Given the chance we would do it over and over again every time.

Tasneem & Christel
American University of Beirut, Lebanon

The 2016 Young Professionals & Students Summit will take place in Manama, Bahrain as a part of GEO 2016, the number one geoscience conference in the region.

Learn how to join other student chapters in the Middle East. and keep up to date on our program of activities for young professionals and students.

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