The Southwest Section (SWS) Young Professionals (YPs) have had a great start to 2014.
The Dallas Geological Society (DGS) YPs, led by Joe Bauman, and West Texas Geological Society (WTGS) YPs, led by Clayton Winkler, have gained traction in their local geological communities – the total group has grown from about 50 in 2012 to over 200 YPs in 2014.
To get this kind of involvement the local societies have held events like crawfish boils, bowling nights, Texas Rangers baseball games and charity events.
Going forward, the SWS-YPs are committed to increasing participation from the other local societies and promoting membership in AAPG. It’s an exciting time in our industry – and as YPs we should encourage involvement and learn as much as we can from our colleagues and peers.
Here are some quick recaps of the most recent SWS-YP events and the newly simplified process to become a member of AAPG.
DGS Update
On April 28 the Dallas Geological and Geophysical Societies held its 39th annual joint golf tournament at the Tribute and Old American golf courses; but this year included a twist as the inaugural Young Professionals Pro-Am Event was concurrently held.
With the goal of cross-generational networking, Pro-Am teams paired veteran geoscientists (the “Pros”) with Young Professionals (the “Ams”). The event was well-received, indicating it may be the first activity in an annual event.
This year, 11 YPs distributed among six teams vied for the coveted YP Pro-Am bobblehead trophy, with the team of Dick Swindell, Brandon Hussing, Mark Edwards and YP Brandon Lycka finishing on top.
Thank you to all the Pros who invited a YP to play on their foursome – and to Denbury Resources and Columbine Logging for sponsoring some of our YPs’ registration fees!
As of June, Mandi Beck is the new DGS YP chair.
WTGS Update
The WTGS YP group was formed this past fall with an eight-person committee keen to start getting the word out to Young Professionals about AAPG through networking events, seminars/speaker series and charity events in the local communities.
Meg Dodge with Weatherford Laboratories sponsored our inaugural event on the patio of Sedona Grill on Sunday, May 11. We had approximately 25 people attend the event, following the SWS-AAPG Icebreaker social.
One of the main goals for the Permian Basin YPG committee was to approach the various attendees and solicit ideas for future events and talks, and opinions on the best methods for increasing interest in the organization. The social route seems to be a relatively open and relaxed environment for gaining initial interest.
A number of suggestions pointed us toward planning to bring in speakers from the variety of areas in the industry.
AAPG Membership Process
The requirements to be an AAPG Member consist of having a bachelor’s degree in the geological sciences; a minimum of one-year experience in the professional industry or teaching of geology; and one sponsor who is an AAPG Member.
If you are currently a Student or Associate member and would like to upgrade your membership, go to AAPG's application wizardand follow these steps:
- Click ‘Apply for Membership’ on the right-hand navigation panel.
- Log in.
- Confirm your personal information.
- Click ‘New Application’ and select the appropriate application (renewal, reinstatement, etc.)
- Complete the Transfer to Member form and enter your sponsor’s name.
- Submit the application.
AAPG verifies the eligibility of all applicants and sponsors, and the prospective member is published online and available for view for 60 days.
If you want to become a new member, go to AAPG's application wizard and follow these steps:
- Click ‘Apply for Membership’ on the right-hand navigation panel.
- Create AAPG login credentials.
- Confirm your personal information.
- Click ‘New Application.’
- Complete the Member form and enter your sponsor’s name.
- Submit the application.
Again, AAPG verifies the eligibility of all applicants and sponsors and the prospective member is published and available for view for 60 days.
The SWS-YP group is growing rapidly and we hope to add a few more YP Chapters (FWGS, AGS, NTGS) this year.
Check out our website.