Why I Accepted the Invitation to be a Candidate for an AAPG Office
By Anwar M. Al-Beaiji
I have accepted the invitation to be a candidate for AAPG office to serve the geoscience profession and AAPG’s valuable members around the world. With nearly 100 years of history and more than 40,000 members, AAPG provides a perfect venue to honor and serve the petroleum geosciences, the members of AAPG and to help take AAPG to the next level with its goal of becoming indispensable to energy professionals worldwide.
Being part of the leading petroleum geosciences society, I feel obliged to dedicate myself towards advancing the sciences and serving AAPG’s members in the best professional manners. In 2007 I joined AAPG as a student member and after only a year I recognized the value that AAPG brings to its members and the world. My AAPG service journey started as the IBA coordinator for the Middle East Region and soon after, I became the Founder and Chairman of the Young Professionals & Student Support team in the region (YPSS-MER). AAPG with its invaluable programs such as IBA and Visiting Geoscientists bridges the gap between academia and industry and increases students’ learning curves. The YPSS organizes free courses, workshops, field trips and social activities. Having students & YPs experience exploration techniques with access to leading edge research and the most current geological information produces extraordinary results. Also, students’ have the opportunity to attend world-class technical meetings such as AAPG’s annual conference and exhibition and enjoy a great & friendly professional network. Recognizing future leaders who became very active with AAPG or its affiliated societies is a logical product to the activities & programs that AAPG offers. These are few accomplishments that had direct & positive impact towards advancing petroleum geosciences and consequently peoples’ life that is one of AAPG’s main goals.
Since I was directly involved, I could clearly recognize the tangible & the intangible benefits that hundreds of experienced professionals, young professionals and students were able to take advantage off. I believe that AAPG has a lot to offer and contributes to a better world. For almost 100 years, AAPG has been providing us with great knowledge and it is now my turn to serve back to the society and its valued members.