Advance the science of geology

Visiting Geoscientist Program (VGP)

• 7 November –Students from UBA (Argentina); UFPR and UFRGS (Brazil); UNI (Peru); UWI (Trinidad and Tobago) and UDELAR (Uruguay), participated of the Webinar "The Geoscience We do in the Petroleum Industry" presented by VG Fred Schroeder. 53 people connected for the talk.
• 10 November – Antonio Velásquez delivered the talk “Geophysics Applied to Exploration” at the University Escuela Militar de Ingeniería (EMI) in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. 50 students and Young Professionals attended.
• 23 November – Jul Roldan delivered the talks “Methodology of Exploration of Hydrocarbons Estimation of Resources and Analysis of Risk and Uncertainties” and “Career opportunities in the energy industry” at UNSAAC University in Cusco, Peru. 70 students and 3 faculty members attended.
• 27 November – Flávio Feijó delivered the course "Fundamentals of Petroleum Systems" at UFRGS university in Porto Alegre, Brazil. 19 students attended.
• 28 November – Flávio Feijó delivered a seminar about petroleum perspectives and global warming at UFRGS university in Porto Alegre, Brazil. 19 students attended.

Earth Science Week

Argentina

• 26 November - UBA, Argentina. Sofía Manusakis gave the talk "ABCs of hydrocarbons and aspects of the Vaca Muerta Formation" at the Instituto Parroquial Mario Fabian Alsina high school. 60 students attended.

Colombia

• 13-15 November: Student Chapters from Universidad de Pamplona in Cúcuta, Colombia held an Earth Science Week event involving 150 high school students. The event provided the opportunity to talk about the geology of the region, the importance of geologists to sustainable development, as well as a space to discuss about minerals and rocks, tectonics, energy, water and geohazards. Also, at this event, geologists from Colombia Geological Survey held a short course about science communication to 40 geology students and teachers. The event was sponsored by the Colombian Geological Society and supported by the Geological Mapping Group from the Colombian Geological Survey.

Mexico

• 5-9 November: Mexico YP Chapter organized the first-ever AAPG Mexico 2018 Geosciences Week in conjunction with students from UNAM and IPN universities. The event included participation of renowned companies and associations in the industry and reached more than 3000 children and teachers at schools in Mexico City. Volunteers conducted workshops on seismic, oil drilling, paleontology, rocks and minerals, etc. and targeted primary and secondary school children. The event closing ceremony took place at the UNAM Museum of Geology.

Trinidad & Tobago

• 3 November: STEM Session #5, Stratigraphy & Structural Geology, delivered by Amrit Cooblal, AAPG YPTT president and Therese Steele. The students learned basics of stratigraphy, structural geology, petroleum systems and the importance of significance of faults as traps and migration pathways. 30 attendees
• 10 November: STEM Session #6, Geophysics by Zain Ramsingh, AAPG YP TT treasurer. The students learned the basics of geophysics in acquisition, processing and interpretation of seismic data. 20 attendees
• 24 November: STEM Session #7, Petroleum Systems, by Zain Ramsingh, AAPG YPTT Treasurer, and Nykesi Omokuguebe. Student took all their learnings throughout the term to understand and identify a working petroleum system. 20 attendees

Region

• Prepared an article about Earth Science Week activities throughout the region to be published in a future issue of the AAPG Explorer

Promote the use of technology

GTW Mexico 2019: Unlocking Mexico’s Offshore Potential

• 6-7 March, Hotel Marquis Reforma, Mexico City
• Session Themes:
  • Appraisal and Development in Shallow Water Areas
  • Exploration & Production in Deep Water
  • Enabling Technologies for Offshore Activities
  • Best Practices and Lessons Learned following Mexico’s Energy Reform
• Poster Sessions:
  • Tectonic Session and Prospectivity in Mexico’s Offshore Basins
  • Tools & Technology to Optimize Exploration & Development
• Confirmed sponsorship from Chevron, BHGE, Spectrum & Gaffney, Cline & Associate; other companies requesting information about opportunities
• Open registration; sent invitations to session chairs and presenters
• Opened call for poster presentation proposals; submission deadline is 12 December

GTW Brazil 2019: Solutions for Appraisal and Development of Onshore and Offshore Fields

• Rio de Janeiro, 12-13 June 2019
• Working with to define session themes, chairs, speakers and sponsors

GTW Suriname 2019: Recent discoveries and exploration and development opportunities in the Guiana Basin:

• Paramaribo, 5-7 November 2019
• Working with to define session themes, chairs, speakers and sponsors
• Session Themes:
  • Tectonic Setting and Prospectivity in the Guiana Basin
  • Recent discoveries in Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana
  • Best practices for Development in Emerging Basins
  • Data, Tools and Technology to Optimize Offshore Operations
  • Beyond Guiana: Offshore Exploration Updates from throughout the Region
  • Government-Industry-Community: Collaborative Strategies for Emerging Hydrocarbon Economies

ICE Buenos Aires 2019: Expanding frontiers and unlocking resources for future generations

AAPG/AAGGP Stand at the Exploration and Development Congress in Mendoza, Argentina.

• 27‐30 August 2019, Hilton Buenos Aires Hotel & Convention Center
• Preparing and sending letters to session theme co-chairs and panelists
• Opened call for abstracts on 5 November; submission deadline 8 February
• Promoted event at the CONEXPLO Congress in Mendoza 6-9 November; confirmed several sponsors and exhibitors
• Published online floor plan and began selling exhibition space
• Negotiating contract with BaUniline to provide general contractor services and sales support
• Spreading the word about sponsorship, exhibition and presentation opportunities
• Working with team of editors in the US and Argentina to promote AAPG Memoir 120 focusing on Vaca Muerta.

Serve AAPG members throughout the Region

Region website & social media as of 30 November 2018

• Facebook page has 1682 followers (increased 3.4%)
• Twitter account has 610 followers (increased 0%)
• LinkedIn account has 783 followers (increased 6.9%)

Promote awareness of AAPG

Events representation

• AAPG LACR had a stand at the Exploration and Development Congress (CONEXPLO) in Mendoza, Argentina.
  • Stand volunteers promoted ICE Buenos Aire and recruited 6 new members to AAPG. They also helped 2 individuals transfer from associate to member
• AAPG LACR leadership attended the I Petroleum and Gas Summit/100 Years of Petroleum event in Bogotá, Colombia
  • Individuals networked with other participants and promoted 2019 events to potential presenters, sponsors and participants
• AAPG LACR had a stand at the X International Gas and Energy Forum (FIGAS) held in Tarija, Bolivia
  • Antonio Velásquez, LACR Strategic Alliances Coordinator, addressed the conference on behalf of AAPG
• AAPG Latin America & Caribbean region had a stand at the Petroleum Engineering Congress in Tampico, Mexico
  • Participants recruited new members and provided information about forming student chapters

Corporate Advisory Board

• Steering Committee approved creating a LACR Corporate Advisory Board which could provide strategic and tactical guidance to leadership and help to provide ongoing support for education and workforce development initiatives

Chevron Partnership

• Working with Chevron Africa and Latin America to secure University Datapages subscriptions for universities in Suriname, Guyana, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina

Bolivia Partnership

• The Bolivian Ministry of Hydrocarbons sent a draft Memorandum of Understanding to AAPG to promote technical and educational activities in Bolivia
• LACR office is working with the Vice Minister to finalize the MoU and to develop a list of programs

Develop the next generation of geoscientists

Imperial Barrel Award

• The IBA LACR registration closed on Friday, 30 November
• The Region competition includes 26 teams representing nine countries
• Three teams are participating for the first time (*)

Participating Teams:

Argentina

• National University of Cordoba (UNC)*
• Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA)
• Universidad Nacional de la Plata (UNLP)

Bolivia

• Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA)*

Brazil

• Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE)
• Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
• Federal University of Sergipe (UFS)
• State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ)
• Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
• Universidad Federal de Paraná (UFP)*
• Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS)

Colombia

• EAFIT University
• Universidad de Caldas
• Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS)
• Universidad de los Andes (Uniandes)
• Universidad Nacional de Colombia – Bogotá (UNAL)
• Universidad Nacional de Colombia – Medellín (Unalmed)

Mexico

• Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN)
• Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM)

Peru

• National University of San Agustin (UNSA)
• Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM)
• Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería (UNI)

Suriname

• Anton de Kom University of Suriname

Trinidad and Tobago

• University of the West Indies (UWI) – St. Augustine

Venezuela

• Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV)
• Universidad Simón Bolivar (USB)

2019 LACR IBA Competition timeline:

• Dataset release: Friday, 4 January
• Virtual round (via WebEx): Friday, 1 March
• Semifinal Round, Rio de Janeiro: Friday, 5 April
• Global Finals, San Antonio, TX: Saturday, 18 May

2019 Student-Young Professional Leadership Summit*

• 30 August – 1 September 2019 in Buenos Aires
• Advertising Summit Sponsorship option in the ICE Buenos Aires 2019 sponsorship brochure

Ready to Work Program Pilot

• The FY2019 Region budget includes funding to expand the Ready to Work Program in other parts of the region
• Will use best practices and lessons learned from the March-April 2018 Peru Pilot to develop programs in Colombia, Brazil and Argentina

Student Chapters

• 1-30 November - ESPOL, Ecuador distributed Free field notebooks made available through L. Austin Grant. 80 students and 20 professors benefited.
• 4-7 November - UFRuralRJ, Brazil, attended the event "XV ALAGO CONGRESS - Salvador -BA". 1 student attended.
• 5 November - UFS, Brazil, held the activity "Geology in school: lectures on geology and curiosities for high school students and fundamental - Colégio Americano Batista.” 3 chapter members and 60 students attended.
• 7-9 November - UBA, Argentina. Sofía Jorge, Micaela Baez, Guillermo Palmieri and Ailin Gerber and served as volunteers in the AAPG stand at the CONEXPLO 2018 held in Mendoza, Argentina. AAPG and AAGGP sponsored their conference registration.
• 8 November - UCV, Venezuela, held the activity “Tectonostratigraphy from the east of the Falcon Basin" by Jesús Monsalves, Geological Engineer and Professor at the UCV Geochemistry School. 16 students attended.
• 9 November - UFPR, Brazil, held the lecture "Architectural response of lobe complexes to different degrees of basin-scale confinement " presented by PhD. Claus Fallgatter. 11 people attended.
• 9, 10, 16, 17 November - UMSA, Bolivia held a theoretical course "Techniques of structural geology and tectonic interpretation - I". 14 students attended.
• 11-18 November - UMSA, Bolivia, participated in the field trip "Techniques of structural geology and tectonic interpretation - I". 14 students attended.
• 12 November - UFPR, Brazil, held the short course "Mega gravity flows and their deposits" presented by PhD. Claus Fallgatter. 15 people attended.
• 12 November - UCV, Venezuela, held the meeting with the IBA 2019 team, representatives of Schlumberger Venezuela and professors in areas related to oil exploration of the UCV. Coordinated by: Professor Jesús Monsalve. 7 students attended.
• 14 November - UFPR, Brazil, held the lecture "Facies and reservoir characterization of a terminal Neoproterozoic Carbonate-Platform margin escarpment, South Oman Salt Basin" given by Joachim Amthor (Shell). 8 people attended.
• 16 November - UCV, Venezuela, held the presentation "Roles of the geophysicist in oil exploration and production companies" by Rafael Pinto (Geophysical Engineer). 13 students attended.
• 16 November - ESPOL, Ecuador, held the conference of "Modelling of microseismic events in hydraulic fracturing scenarios" and " Stratigraphy, sedimentation and tectonic evolution of the pull-apart Progreso basin" by PhD. Antenor Aleman and Geo. Maria Fernanda Serrano. 30 students attended.
• 16 November - UNI, Peru, participated in the UNI FIGMM Project fair 2018, Lima, Perú. 02 members participated in order to show the results of the chapter and promote affiliation to the AAPG.
• 20 November - UNS, Argentina, held the conference "The role of geologist in petroleum industry" dictated by Geologist Lucrecia Álvarez (YPF). 40 geology and geophysics students and young professionals attended.
• 23 - 24 November - UNMSM, Peru, held the short course "Principles of Extensional Tectonics, examples of the Pisco Oriental Basin" by Eng. Walther León. 23 students and 10 professionals attended.
• 26 November - UBA, Argentina, held the talk “Introduction to Sequence Stratigraphy" by Fernanda Raggio. 26 students, 6 graduates and 1 PhD. attended.
• 26 November - UERJ, Brazil, held the talk "Potential Applications of Deep Learning for Geosciences" by Pedro Mário Cruz e Silva (NVIDIA). 17 people attended.
• 26 November - UCV, Venezuela, held the presentation "Petroleum systems of the Middle East, and American sub-salines" by Fernando Marcano, UCV Geochemistry School professor. 17 people attended.
• 26 November - UFS, Brazil, held the activity "More Geology with the theme: Sedimentary Basins (Origins, formation mechanisms, main models of basins, tectonics and sedimentation) by José Mateus Silva". 2 chapter members and 9 students attended.
• 26-29 November - IPN, México organized the “First Politechnic Petroleum Summit” In cooperation the SPE IPN chapter, held a 3-day event featuring technical talks, knowledge tournaments and panels with the industry to create links between students and companies. The 12+ companies and petroleum institutes participating included PEMEX, CNH, IMP, Jaguar, Eni, Chevron and AMEXHI. The chapters signed cooperation with companies who agreed to support the partnership. More than 650 students attended the event.
• 28 November – UWI, Trinidad and Tobago, held the AAPG Annual Christmas Bake Sale. 9 students attended.
• 29 November - UFRuralRJ, Brazil held the activity " Technical Visit to the company Barra Energia". 2 students attended.
• 29 November - UNI, Peru, held the workshop "Workflow for a deterministic petrophysical evaluation" by Jose Vasquez. 28 students participated.

YP Chapters

Argentina

• 7-9 November: YP Members Gabriela Marinho (Brazil/Argentina), Juan Pablo Lovecchio (Argentina) and Mauricio Guizada (Bolivia/Brazil) worked at the CONEXPLO stand in Mendoza. They promoted AAPG ICE 2019 in Buenos Aires and recruited 5 new YP chapter members and 4 student members.

Bolivia

• 5-10 November: Chapter sponsored the IV EMI (Escuela Militar de Ingeniería) SPE Petroleum Week and helped to organizing a technical program with 9 technical talks for Petroleum Engineering students
• 7 November – held the first AAPG/SPE Women in Energy Bolivia Forum (WEB) for students. The online event included 6 speakers from the Bolivian industry and 2 moderators from the AAPG YP Bolivia chapter. 70 students attended.
• 7 November: WEB Meet and Greet held following the Women in Energy Forum. 10 female Petroleum Engineering students and 5 women professionals attended.
• 8-10 November: First participation of AAPG YP Chapter in “X Foro Internacional del Gas y Energía (FIGAS)” held in Tarija, Bolivia. Antonio Velásquez presented a Technical Talk during 4th Workshop of Seismic & Exploration Technologies Oil and Gas. 100 participants attended.
• 17 November: PETROCRUZ – Organized by SPE Bolivian Section. Ana Goncalves – YP member and Delegate LACR invited to participate as jury in the competition called PETROCRUZ, like PETROBOWL, for Bolivian SPE Student Chapters. It was held in Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno (UAGRM) Santa Cruz, Bolivia. 10 teams of three Universities (UAGRM, Uteps & EMI) participated
• 20 November: Winners of the Chapter’s First Geophotography Contest “CaptureGeo Bolivia 2018” announced. Jaime Oller, Senior Geologist, Michael Biste, Senior Geologist & Valery Garnica, Professional Photographer, evaluated the photos and selected the winners. 1st Place – David Vásquez, 2nd Place Alejandra Dalenz, 3rd Place Jorge Jora. Photos submitted for the contest will be published in agendas and calendars sold to raise money for the chapter.
• 20 November: Co-hosted the a technical talk with the Colegio de Geólogos Santa Cruz. Estela Minaya, retired geophysicist, presented “Madeyapecua Fault and its seismicity impact in Santa Cruz” at Goethe Centrum, Santa Cruz. 120 attendees.
• 22-23 November: IBA Preparation for UMSA team. Salvador Limachi, YP Educational Liaison collaborated with a technical course for students of Universidad Mayor San Andrés (UMSA) team in La Paz, Bolivia. 5 attendees
• 28 November: Seventh Session “Ciclo de Charlas Geocientíficas.” Tomás Labrador, Senior Geoscientist PARADIGM presented “The Art of Subsurface Modeling” at the YPFB Auditorium located in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. 20 attendees attended in-person, and 100 attendees joined online via Facebook.

Brazil

• 29 November: YPs had a planning meeting and gathered geology books to award during chapter raffles.

Mexico

• 14-16 November: First National Congress of Petroleum Engineering. AAPG YP members and IPN students worked at the AAPG stand at the First National Congress of Petroleum Engineering in Tampico and talked with students interested in AAPG student membership and student chapters. Approximately 200 students attended the stand each day.
• 27-29 November: Chapter members attended and supported the Polytechnic Petroleum Summit organized by SPE and AAPG student chapters.
• Silvia Santos Grapain represented AAPG YP members on a panel entitled "Challenges for recent graduates in the current national hydrocarbon energy sector". 100 attendees participated.
• 16 November: Members of the Student Chapter of the Technological Institute of Coatzacoalcos assumed their new roles with the chapter. Víctor Antuna Herrera, YP educational liaison and university authorities assisted with the chapter formation as and attended the opening ceremony. 60 attendees.

Trinidad & Tobago

• 3 November: STEM Session #5, Stratigraphy & Structural Geology, delivered by Amrit Cooblal, AAPG YPTT president and Therese Steele. The students learned basics of stratigraphy, structural geology, petroleum systems and the importance of significance of faults as traps and migration pathways. 30 attendees
• 10 November: STEM Session #6, Geophysics by Zain Ramsingh, AAPG YP TT treasurer. The students learned the basics of geophysics in acquisition, processing and interpretation of seismic data. 20 attendees
• 20 November: Wellsite Visit, Exploration Wellsite Visit to Balata East by Amrit Cooblal, AAPG YP TT president, and Alex Brash, Lease Operators Limited. Attendees toured the drilling rig and learned about mud logging and engineering on the first exploration well drilled on the onshore drilling campaign. 2 students and 3 YPs attended.
• 24 November: STEM Session #7, Petroleum Systems, by Zain Ramsingh, AAPG YPTT Treasurer, and Nykesi Omokuguebe. Student took all their learnings throughout the term to understand and identify a working petroleum system. 20 attendees
• 28 November: Chapter hosted the talk “Modelling the Montserrat Geothermal System: an Application of the Fuzzy C-means technique to Interpret 3D geophysical Datasets,” by Racine Basant, Seismic Research Centre. 20 students and 20 YPs attended

Strengthen the Region’s voice in AAPG

• 19 - 21 October –Lizbeth Calizaya, LACR YP Liaison; Daiane Cardoso, LACR SC Liaison, Stefanie Hormaza, ESPOL Student Chapter and Flover Rodriguez, Global Student Chapter Committee Member, represented LACR at the AAPG Leadership Global Summit in Houston

Upcoming Meetings

• AAPG International Regions Leadership Team Meeting: Tuesday, 11 December, 08:00 CST
• No AAPG LACR leadership team meeting in December