As I was traveling at 38,000 feet on my way to the AAPG International Convention and Exhibition in Melbourne, Australia, I read David McCullough’s “The Wright Brothers.”
Imagine, just 113 years ago, the Wright brothers made the first glider flight, and today I am flying at 500-plus miles per hour. It was their diligence and perseverance that made modern air travel possible.
In the oil and gas industry, the same diligence and perseverance have driven us to develop the current technological advances that have led to discoveries around the world. AAPG’s Division of Professional Affairs has developed the Discovery Thinking, Playmaker and Reserves forums, which showcase the thought processes that developed current plays, as well as provide case studies of the results.
Discovery Thinking has been offered as a session at the AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition since 2008 and at the International Convention and Exhibition since 2011. This forum highlights the AAPG members who have made significant geologic discoveries. The speakers for this forum provide case studies on how they approached a geologic problem and with persistence were able to overcome significant challenges. The testimonies are inspiring and provide every geologist with food for thought regarding their current and future projects.
Charles Sternbach originated and chairs this program for both the DPA and the AAPG 100th Anniversary Committee. In the 14 times this forum has been presented, Paul Weimer, Ed Dolly and other co-chairs also have contributed from around the globe.
For more information about Discovery Thinking, visit www.SearchandDiscovery.com/SpecialCollections/DiscoveryThinking.html.
The Playmaker Forum - a concept also developed and championed by Charles Sternbach - is a compact one-day forum in which geoscientists share with geoscientists, providing technical and professional paths to business success to find and produce energy. The seminar includes educational talks, analog discoveries in proven and emerging plays and a luncheon speaker who had the vision to pursue and successfully develop a new play.
In addition to the educational and motivational talks, Playmakers provides a great venue for networking between the speakers and participants, which include early, middle and late-career petroleum geoscientists.
The initial Playmaker Forum was held in Houston in 2013, with subsequent forums in Houston in 2014; and Midland, Texas; London, England, and Calgary, Canada, in 2015.
Forums for 2016 are scheduled for Denver and Pittsburgh, with additional venues currently developing plans for forums. If you have not attended a Playmakers Forum, please plan to do so in the near future.
For more information, visit www.SearchandDiscovery.com/SpecialCollections/pm.htm.
The Reserves Evaluation Forum is a relatively new addition to the DPA sponsored events, with the first meeting held in Houston on Oct. 31, 2013, in conjunction with the sponsored “SEC Reserve Rules and Unconventional Resources” short course.
This program brought together the giants of the reserves estimations arena, from geological, engineering, geophysical and governmental perspectives. Past President Bob Shoup coordinated the first forum and Eleazar Benedetto-Padron organized the second, again in Houston, on Feb. 26, 2015.
This event requires cooperative contributions from the Joint Committee on Reserves Evaluator Training (JCORET) organizations, and by leading these efforts our members and audience benefit greatly from the knowledge and expertise of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers (SPEE), Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and AAPG. This complex facet of our industry is becoming increasingly important to corporate survival, and we are planning additional forums in the near future.
The DPA continues to work to provide scientific, business and professional support to its members through the sponsored forums described above. Please join DPA, be part of the effort and help us spread the word about DPA-sponsored forums.