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EAGE NEWSLETTER
Issue 1 2015STUDENTS
Win a prize with the correct answer!Who will kick off with an inspirational talk
during the Student Chapter Meeting on
4 June in Madrid?
Send your answer to [email protected] and
receive one of of our selected books for free!
What's insideRole for students in Uganda 3
Life as a geoscience blogger 7
Chapters in Russia 9and Turkey
Industry News 10
And more...
Peter Lloyd, co-chair, EAGE Student Af-
fairs Committee, reports on the EAGE
student programmes at the ASEG/
PESA 24th International Geophysical Confer-
ence and Exhibition in Perth, Western Aus-
tralia, and the lead up to Madrid 2015.
We came, we quizzed, we partnered! Maybe
not quite as dramatic as Caesar’s words after his
Pontic triumphs, but EAGE’s fi rst foray into Aus-
tralasia nevertheless felt as if it had been planned
with almost military precision. Though instead of
taking prisoners, we made friends.
ASEG and PESA put on one of the best confer-
ences in Perth that I have ever attended anywhere,
in terms of the quality of the technical sessions
and the level of engagement in the exhibition
hall. It was a privilege for EAGE to be involved and
to contribute as part of the conference’s student
outreach programme, which also included men-
toring, mock interviews and career talks.
Read more on page 2 ➤
Read more on page 2 ➤
Madrid 2015 Student Programme is made for you!
The University of Western Australia won the
honours at the EAGE Geo-Quiz night facilitated
by our EAGE Asia Pacifi c Offi ce team, headquar-
tered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Twenty teams,
from 10 universities across the continent, faced
off under the ‘Southern Cross’ for a wonderful
open-air evening event. The victors were decided
on the very last question, winning by a margin of
just two points from a possible 1000. Nail-biting
stuff! The winning WA team will now head to
Madrid for the Annual Conference in June and
compete against previous Geo-Quiz champions
like Imperial College, Heriot Watt University and
Institut Francais du Petrol (IFP). As winners, their
travel, accommodation and conference fees
will be sponsored by the EAGE. Special thanks
to Adrian Noetzli and his Perth committee for
helping compose 50 excellent questions, and
encouraging so many strong university teams to
compete.
And that was not all we had to celebrate. We
welcome Aaron Girard as our new Australasian
representative on the Student Affairs Commit-
tee, and Dr Gaynor Paton has kindly agreed to
be our new student lecturer for the 2015-2016
tours of Australasia and the Far East.
With EAGE student representation and pro-
grammes in the America’s, Europe, the Middle
East, Africa, Russia, India, China, the Far East
and now Australasia, we might be tempted to
say that the SAC has now joined that elite group
‘upon whom the sun never sets’. I have to con-
fess that I thought this was a Churchillian saying
about the Brits in the late 1800s, but the basic
idea appears to have come from Herodotus’ His-
tories, Xerxes and the Persian invasion of Europe
in 480 BC (Georg Buechmann, 1864). So let’s
not get too carried away, and be reminded that
pride goes before the fall (as it certainly did with
By June, the academic year will be wind-
ing down for students. But before the
summer break, don’t forget to attend
the Student Programme at the EAGE Annual
Conference on 1-4 June in Madrid. This will
provide a perfect opportunity to network and
expand your geoscience horizons.
The technical programme consists of stu-
dent poster presentations, a fi eld trip on
Monday exploring the Spanish Central Sys-
tem, motivational speeches on Tuesday and
Thursday and a series of short courses on
Tuesday and Wednesday.
Over the years, the student short courses
and workshops have become an integral
part of the Student Programme. For the 77th
EAGE Conference and Exhibition in Madrid,
we will continue this tradition with the orga-
nization of three student short courses, on
Tuesday 2 June and Wednesday 3 June.
On Tuesday, students can participate in
the courses on ‘Tectonics-Sedimentation
Relations’ presented by Josep Poblet (Univer-
sidad de Oviedo) and ‘Potential Fields Meth-
ods for Hydrocarbon Exploration’ presented
Hon Prof Peter Lloyd.
Refl ections on our Australian debut
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 1 20152
EAGE UPDATE
The essays were of excellent quality and
touched on a broad range of pertinent issues.
Ideas ranged from introducing a hippocratic
oath to be sworn on entering our profession, to
having measurable standards of competence, to
simpler things like dressing neatly in the offi ce
and being respectful to one’s co-workers. Case
studies were delved into and one team conjured
up a mythical character to reinforce the prin-
ciples of ethics and professionalism. References
were made to several recent disasters which
might (indeed, almost certainly would) have
been avoided had the players adopted a more
professional approach when interacting, com-
municating and making decisions. We, the judg-
Madrid 2015 Student Programme is made for you!
EAGE Student Newsletter
Student Affairs CommitteePeter Lloyd chairSylvie Grimaud Co-chair (Total)Anne Jardin (IFP Energies Nouvelles)Giancarlo Bernasconi (Politecnico di Milano)Ibrahim Mohammad (Schlumberger)Leon Barens (Total E&P Nederland)Roger Clark (University of Leeds)Claudia Steiner-Luckabauer (HOT Engineering GmbH)Vladislav Kuznetov (Novatek NTC)Mario Sigismondi (YPF Argentina)
Publications & Communications ManagerMarcel van Loon ([email protected])
Student Affairs CoordinatorKirsten Brandt ([email protected])
Publications CoordinatorLaura van Kal ([email protected])
Account Manager AdvertisingPeter Leitner ([email protected])
ProductionCo Productions bv ([email protected])
EAGE Head Offi ceE-mail: [email protected], [email protected]: www.eage.org
Continued from p.1.
Refl ections on our Australian debut
Xerxes at Thermopylae and the Battle of Salamis
shortly thereafter).
I’d also like to report that we have selected
our six fi nalists for the EAGE FIELD Challenge,
another fl ag ship initiative for students with the
fi nals also at the Annual Conference in Madrid.
We had a record number of 47 entries from all
around the world, for this year’s essay ’Profes-
sionalism: what it means and why it is critical to
the oil and gas business’. And I am delighted to
say that only a handful failed the ‘plagiarism’
screening we always conduct.
The line up for the fi nals will be:
• China University of Petroleum (Beijing)
• University of Barcelona (Spain)
• Dalhousie University (Canada)
• OMSK State Technical University (Russia)
• Heriot-Watt University (Dubai)
• AGH University of Science and Technology
(Poland)
The regional spread for the fi nal line-up was not
‘engineered’, it refl ects the quality of entries we
had from around the world.
es, were very impressed with what we read, but
(as always happens in life) there is always that
nagging concern. Will we all be tough enough
to ‘walk the talk’ when things become diffi cult.
And that brings me back to Perth. Despite the
oil price, company restructuring, cost controls
and inevitably so many fearful for their jobs, the
professional attitude was simply superb. Every-
one I talked to had a positive attitude, putting
on a bright face and the technical presentations
were excellent. The grittiness and determination
for which Australians have become renowned
shone through with real dignity. And one saw it
in the more recent arrivals working in the busi-
ness. It is indeed infectious. Thanks again ASEG/
PESA for this wonderful conference and inviting
EAGE to become part of the professional scene
in Australasia.
Continued from p.1.
by Adriana Mantilla-Pimiento and Lorenzo
Cascone, both from Repsol. On Wednesday
afternoon the course by Marcos Gallego
(ERM) course on ‘Environmental Impact and
Exploration’ will conclude this year’s series of
student short courses.
The courses during the Annual are not
your average academic seminar. The inter-
national nature of the conference and ex-
hibition itself, as well as the instructors on
offer, allow students to engage on topics in
a variety of fi elds whilst working together
with peers from all over the world. This cre-
ates a special environment in which you can
share your own expertise and local knowl-
edge with that of your co-workers whilst
collaborating on group exercises. By doing
so, you will not only learn other approaches
to existing problems, but also gain an un-
derstanding on different ways of reasoning.
One of the course presenters Adriana
Mantilla-Pimiento explains the rationale:
‘These kind of short courses are perfectly
designed to introduce students to the real
professional world and expose them to the
most innovative technologies and methods
used in the industry. In addition, they are
an excellent opportunity for the students
to start building a professional network.
Students should be involved in the EAGE
Madrid ´15 Student Programme because it
is a very good opportunity to get in touch
for the fi rst time with the industry and the career
interests of companies through a very friendly
and attractive programme, in which they may
feel comfortable. There is a team specifi cally
preparing different activities to make the EAGE
Madrid 2015 Student Programme, a motivating
and inspiring experience that could help stu-
dents to set their goals.’
Although the technical programme is obvious-
ly the essence of the Student Programme, the
Student Evening on Tuesday 2 June is not to be
forgotten either! The reoccurring Recruitment
Café will also be at the Student Court this year,
providing students with an excellent chance to
meet the representatives of our sponsors: Total,
Repsol, Statoil, ExxonMobil, and the EAGE Stu-
dent Fund (including Shell). If you want to attend
one or several of the short courses or one of the
other Student Programme highlights, make sure
you take a look at the website (www.eage.org/
event/madrid-students-2015), and don’t forget
to register for the conference! We are looking
forward to welcoming you to Madrid this June.
Students on a tour of EAGE exhibition area.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 1 2015 3
STUDENT CHAPTERS
Students discuss their potential role in Uganda’s developing oil and gas sector
The fi rst EAGE-supported workshop on the role of young people in
Uganda’s oil sector was held last November at the College of Engi-
neering, Design, Art and Technology, Kampala, Uganda.
The workshop was part of a continuing dialogue with university students
by the Africa Institute for Energy Governanace (AFIEGO), a public policy re-
search and advocacy non-governmental organization (NGO) in Uganda. The
NGO is trying to ensure young people are at the forefront of the discourse in
the oil sector. The workshop aimed at creating awareness that only through
active youth participation will the dream of a better Uganda, with more
people gainfully employed, better schools, better health services, transport
and energy systems with improved quality of life, become a reality.
The workshop on ‘Creating effective nationwide youth demand for good
governance in Uganda’s oil sector’ was organized by the EAGE Student
Chapter of Makerere University (EAGE Mak SC), in partnership with Africa
Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO). It brought together university
students pursuing petroleum and geosciences courses, guild presidents
from major universities, student leaders of the Kigumba Petroleum Insti-
tute, heads of oil courses at various tertiary institutions, oil companies, gov-
ernment offi cials in the petroleum sector and civil society organisations.
Musasizi Josephat, founding president of EAGE Mak SC, encouraged stu-
dents on oil and gas and related courses to take the advantage of EAGE and
its networking possibilities for their career development, and to consider
working abroad.
Dickens Kamugisha, CEO of AFIEGO, said the workshop was an im-
portant step towards ensuring active youth participation and demand for
transparency and accountability in the management and utilization of oil
revenues. It could also help infl uence the ongoing process of developing a
local content policy for the oil and gas sector in Uganda.
He encouraged his audience to be focused on the human rights and ac-
countability problems in Uganda’s oil sector where over $1 billion so far
collected in Capital Gains Tax (CGT) and signature bonuses have never been
accounted for.
Michael Mawanda, MP, vice chairperson, Uganda Parliamentary Forum
on Oil and Gas, said local content meant ‘building a workforce that is skilled
or creating small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) and offering products
and services locally’. He acknowledged the contribution of some of the oil
companies in helping youth acquire expertise in the oil fi eld. However, he
cautioned young people not to look only at the direct jobs but consider
ancillary work.
Peter Magelah, a researcher on law, human rights and governance in the
oil and gas sector, identifi ed the country’s unemployment problem and ad-
vised attention to be paid to local content policy. He also called for increased
funding for Kigumba Petroleum Institute to facilitate quality education that
can enable locals to compete for the oil jobs.
Didas Muhumuza from Tullow Oil told participants how over 20 young
men and women receive scholarships to study Master’s courses in oil and
gas related programmes, which he cited as a major contribution to the local
content policy.
Fred Onduri, a commissioner for youth in the Ministry of Gender Labour
and Social Development addressed climate change issues. With oil produc-
tion underway, there was a need for youth to ensure an environmentally
friendly oil industry.
Left-right: Kamugisha Dickens (CEO, AFIEGO), Musasizi Josephat (EAGE SC Makerere University president), Tiberindwa John Vianney (head of department, Makerere
University Department of Geology and Petroleum Studies), Mawanda Michael, MP, Onduri Fred (Commissioner for Youth and Children Affairs, Ministry of Gender,
Gabor and Social Development), Peter Magelah (research officer, Advocate Coalition for Development and Environment).
Onduri Fred handing over a gift from EAGE Mak SC to Dr Tiberindwa John
Vianney of Makerere University.
Dickens Kamugisha, CEO of AFIEGO, opening the workshop at Makerere
University.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 1 20154
EAGE UPDATE
Clash of brain titans at EAGE Geo-Quiz in Perth
Who would be savvy enough to win an
all expenses-paid trip to EAGE’s An-
nual Event in Madrid? That’s what we
wanted to fi nd out at the EAGE Geo-Quiz for the
Asia Pacifi c region, held during the ASEG-PESA
24th International Geophysical Conference and
Exhibition in Perth, Western Australia, held from
15-18 February.
Some 60 student warriors turned out, all de-
termined to harness their brain power and fi nger
refl exes to win the coveted honour of represent-
ing Australia in the Global EAGE Geo-Quiz at
the Annual Meeting in June. This exciting com-
petition, headed by Peter Lloyd, chairman of the
EAGE Student Affairs Committee and charismat-
ic quizmaster, succeeded in rousing the warrior
spirit of the teams.
After a tough battle decided by a last buzzer-
beating question, the team from University of
Western Australia were declared the winners. The
team of Lee Tasker, Benjamin Witten and Aaron
Girard (University of Western Australia) took home
the special travel grants sponsored by EAGE to at-
tend the 77th EAGE Conference & Exhibition in Ma-
drid. Special thanks goes to Adrian Noetzli, geo-
physicist for GPX Surveys and local volunteers from
ASEG for their invaluable support. The venue and
student social events were sponsored by ASEG.
Lee: Everything you’ve ever done in earth
science can be applicable to the domain. Even if
you are not a geologist or a hydrocarbon person,
it doesn’t matter. Just believe in yourself and ev-
erything will work out for this quiz.
Do you think you stand a chance to win
the Global Geo-Quiz in Spain?
Lee: We have come this far. Why not?
Aaron: I think it’s a great opportunity to repre-
sent Australia. I think we will do equally as well
if we prepare in advance. My motto is ‘just relax
and think as little as possible’.
Ben: We will represent UWA and Australia well.
We feel like we are the best team and we are
going to Madrid to win it all.
Young Scientist Prize on offer at SES conference
There is a prize waiting to be won by a young scientist in con-
nection with the Third Sustainable Earth Science Conference &
Exhibition (SES 2015), which takes place from 15-18 October in
Celle, Germany.
This special event is being organized by EAGE in cooperation with
CO2GeoNet and ENERG. Building on the success of the fi rst SES confer-
ence in Valencia, Spain (2011) and the second SES conference in Pau,
France (2013), the conference aims to create a platform for geoscien-
tists to meet, learn and discuss ‘Use of the Sub-surface to serve the
Energy Transition’. To meet the challenges of energy transition, the view
is that the geosciences must play an increasingly important role in the
sustainable use of the Earth and its resources, and in the conservation
of our environment.
In order to stimulate the work done by the future leaders in this fi eld,
EAGE is hosting a special competition in which we will present the Young
Scientists Prize to the best paper presented by a young professional.
EAGE wants to continue encouraging further innovation in sustain-
able earth sciences. A prize of €1000 will be awarded to one young
scientist who submits and presents a paper at the next Sustainable
Earth Sciences Conference (SES 2015).
EAGE invites young professionals to submit papers on the the topic
‘Innovation in Sustainable Earth Sciences’ for the Young Scientist com-
petition. To be eligible for the prize the lead author must be a full-
time student or young professional and under the age of 35 (by the
end of the calendar year of the conference). Submit your paper before
15 March 2015!
The subject matter of the nominated oral or poster submission should
include an innovative approach to sustainable use of Earth resources
within any of the conference topics (e.g. CO2 storage, geothermal ener-
gy, deep-Earth storage, or other related topics). Papers on relevant break-
through technology or research not clearly defi ned in the call for papers
are also welcome. The winner will be announced during SES 2015.
Students can attend SES 2015 at a discount! If you have any ques-
tions, please contact us at [email protected].
After the competition we asked the winners
about their ‘quiz battle’ experiences.
How did you form such a great winning
team together?
Aaron: We worked in the same group together
and we are actually representing the UWA stu-
dent chapter together.
How did you prepare and train for
the Geo-Quiz?
Ben: The training is basically a lifetime of train-
ing. Geoscience classes and studying geophysics
were the key, but we just tried to stay relaxed
and keep our minds limber.
Lee: Basically, we tried to get into a relaxed
mode and enjoy ourselves. That is exactly what
we did. Believe it or not, we turned up trumps!
What is your advice for future teams who
want to take part in the Geo-Quiz?
Benjamin: If you are interested in geoscience,
just come and participate. I think all the teams
enjoyed themselves.
Aaron: My advice for any future team is ‘you know
a lot more than you think you know’. There will
always be some questions you are going to know
and some questions you are going to learn from.
From left to right: Aaron Girard, Bejamin Witten
and Lee Tasker (University of Western Australia),
Professor Peter Lloyd and Adrian Noetzli.
5EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 1 2015
INTERVIEW
Becoming a geoscientist: the journey so farChiara Aruffo is a PhD student at the Institute for
Applied Geosciences at Technische Universität
Darmstadt, soon to be looking for a full-time job
in the oil and gas industry. EAGE asked her about
her job hunting experiences and how she sees
the future.
Mini bio
Chiara has a Bachelor’s degree in geological
sciences and a Master’s degree in fi eld and re-
sources geology from Roma Tre University, Italy.
She was an Erasmus student during her Master
studies in exploration geophysics/structural geol-
ogy with geophysics at the University of Leeds.
Her work experience has included an internship
at the Operational Centre For Volcanic Hazards,
Italian Civil Protection, Rome; seismic interpreta-
tion with Bayfi eld Energy, UK; internship at the
Reservoir Geomechanics Centre of Excellence,
Bracknell UK (Schlumberger); and numerical
modelling of seismic sections for Petrobras at
Roma Tre University.
What is your current student/work
situation
I am about to conclude a three-year contract as
a PhD candidate at TU Darmstadt, waiting to de-
fend my thesis in the near future. I have been
working on a project about CO2 storage in coop-
eration with an Australian consortium.
Why did you choose the oil and gas
industry?
This derives mainly from the Erasmus exchange
I had at University of Leeds, where courses are
strongly focused on the oil and gas industry. I
was immediately attracted by the many appli-
cations of geology and the cutting edge tech-
niques for oil and gas exploration and produc-
tion. The real breakthrough was the internship
I did last year at Schlumberger, where I had the
opportunity to see how oil and gas professionals
work: it was impressive and now I am sure this is
the path I want to follow.
What is your particular geo expertise?
I hold a Masters in petroleum geology and my
PhD thesis is in reservoir geomechanics, a rela-
tively new topic for the oil and gas industry.
Otherwise I am interested in everything related
to numerical modelling, for example reservoir
engineering.
What is your career vision?
My vision is to become a technical leader in my
area of expertise, thus contributing to improv-
ing the production of natural resources in terms
of safety awareness and economic sustainability.
How hard do you think it will be to fi nd a
job in the current economic climate?
It is not easy at this particular time as companies
tend to hire experience people. Only a few grad-
uate programmes were launched this year and
some of these have been withdrawn, making it
that more challenging for a new graduate to fi nd
a job. Currently, more than ever, it is essential
not to give up, keep looking and try to stand out
from the crowd.
How do you go about job-seeking?
I use Linkedin quite intensively because most of
the companies advertise their openings there. I
also constantly monitor websites of companies
that do not use Linkedin for recruiting. Network-
ing is also fundamental: it allows you to have
direct insights into the companies and to have
fi rst-hand information about new positions.
Do you have many friends/colleagues also
looking for work?
I do have some friends actively looking for a job,
we share tips and support each other in our re-
search. It is a great help to have this opportunity,
we keep our motivation up!
Is there a back-up plan if things don’t pan
out as you hoped?
I am confi dent that this downtime for oil and
gas industry will be over soon, leading to a more
active job market. In the meantime, I want to fo-
cus on improving my skills. I recently decided to
learn how to code and I see it as an investment
for the future.
Have you been involved in any EAGE
student activities?
I participated in student activities during the
last two EAGE Conferences & Exhibitions in
London and Amsterdam. It is very fun and
also an outstanding opportunity to network
with both students and professionals. Thanks
to dedicated workshops, students can increase
their knowledge.
Are the EAGE recruitment fair/job centre
and other recruitment initiatives at annual
meetings useful?
I particularly appreciate the opportunity to have
trial interviews with companies. It gives a good
indication about real interview expectations and
skills that companies are looking for. The job cen-
tre represents a useful source of information con-
cerning the recruitment activity of companies.
Is there more that the Association could do
for students?
EAGE is already doing a very good job for stu-
dents. I really appreciate the Recruitment Special
and it would be great to increase the number of
issues per year and to include opinions from new
graduate-level employees.
What would your advice be to a student
starting out on a geo degree/career?
I strongly believe that hard work is the funda-
mental requirement to achieve success. I encour-
age every student to get involved in activities
proposed by associations such as EAGE, build a
solid network and always look for new learning
opportunities.
Chiara Aruffo.
EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 1 20156
EAGE UPDATE
Make sure you are at the Student Chapter meeting in Madrid
EAGE is proud of its rapidly growing num-
ber of Student Chapters. Did you know
that EAGE had 27 Student Chapters on a
global scale last year, and already this year we
are up to 43 either new and resubscribed Stu-
dent Chapters! We plan to celebrate this growth
of almost 60% during the 77th EAGE Conference
& Exhibition in Madrid from 1-4 June, where we
intend to give the stage to our Student Chapters.
On Thursday 4 June from 3-5.30 p.m., a Student
Chapter meeting will be held on the Exhibition
fl oor. It will kick off with an inspirational talk by
Jean Gérard (Repsol) about ‘The Role of Students
in Collaboration between Academia and Industry’.
Gérard intends to explain why such collaboration
is benefi cial to all geoscientists - academia, indus-
try personnel and students. In his professional life
Gérard is currently working as an advisor in clastic
sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy and seismic
stratigraphy for Repsol, providing expertise to all
the company’s exploration projects.
The EAGE Student Chapter Meeting will be
the perfect opportunity for Chapters, company
new Chapters ending up in the top three. We
are looking forward to an exciting competition
in which anything is possible!
And there’s more at the Annual Meeting …
EAGE provides Student Chapters with some
other exciting opportunities during the An-
nual Meeting. Each year, we organize the On-
line Geo-Quiz for Student Chapters only. The
three winning teams are given the opportunity
to send three of their Chapter members to the
EAGE Conference & Exhibition! EAGE would like
to congratulate the three winning Chapters of
this years’ Online Geo-Quiz: Dalhousie University
(Canada), Heriot-Watt University (UK) and SGS
Berlin & Potsdam (Germany)!
EAGE advises Chapters on how to organize
workshops, conferences or fi eld trips and even
provide them with technical content (lectures,
activities) if necessary. Leaders of tomorrow
need many more skills than only technical
knowledge learned during the study. Being
part of an EAGE Student Chapter helps in de-
veloping those other ‘soft’ skills.
professionals, Student Affairs Committee mem-
bers, EAGE staff, and other interested delegates
to mingle and network.
Another opportunity to promote activities
will be the Student Chapter Wall, in the Student
Court on the Exhibition fl oor. This is where you
can showcase what your chapter has done, what
the vision is and what activities are being plan-
ning for the future.
Best Student Chapter prize up for grabs
Who will receive the illustrious title of ‘Best Stu-
dent Chapter’, along with a €2000 voucher to
spend on Chapter activities? We will fi nd out
the answer during the EAGE Student Chapter
Meeting in Madrid when the winner will be an-
nounced.
Current holder of the title is Imperial College
London but they will be facing stiff opposition
to repeat, from among others last year’s run-
ners up, SGS Potsdam and Berlin and Bucharest
Universities, and also third-placed Heriot-Watt
and Suez Universities. Then again, we may see
EAGE Student Chapters around the world.
No EAGE Student Chapter at your university yet?Become a Student Chapter and receive
15 free memberships! Please send an
e-mail to the Student Affairs Coordi-
nator at [email protected] to receive
more information about the benefi ts of
being a Student Chapter and how to
get started.
MADRID 2015MADRID 201577th EAGE Conference & Exhibition
Student Programme 1-4 June 2015EDUCATION - RECRUITMENT - NETWORKING - ENTERTAINMENT
7EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 1 2015
INTERVIEW
Blogging his way through geoscience studiesJesper Dramsch is building a fan base for Way of
the Geophysicist, his regular blog (dramsch.net)
on his experience in the geoscience community
to date. Topics include discussion of science, as
well as some more philosophical and personal
thoughts. Jesper is a Master student at Hamburg
University currently with a student assignment at
O+P Geotechnik, Hamburg. His work experience
to date also includes internships with Fugro Seis-
mic Imaging and Schlumberger.
What inspired you to start a blog?
My initial idea was to share my internship ex-
perience with Fugro Seismic Imaging (FSI). Soon
this transitioned into writing about geo-related
topics I found interesting, especially, when I had
to work my way into and do the research; those
were articles I liked. Getting into the habit of
writing has helped me immensely in my studies.
Who is your target audience?
I write from the perspective of a grad student.
Essentially it’s a mix of people studying geosci-
ence, young professionals and seniors that are
interested in the views of those just starting into
the world of geoscience.
What kind of feedback to you get?
There’s a wide variety of feedback. In my com-
ment section and on Twitter I get some respons-
es. One of my articles has been published in a
book 52 things you should know about geo-
physics (Eds. Matt Hall and Evan Bianco, Agile
Geoscience). Some of my fellow students even
bought the book. At Schlumberger I got an
email from someone higher up in the company,
who struck up a conversation about my latest
post. All in all, I received very positive feedback.
Are there many other student/postgrad
geo-bloggers out there, or many in the
industry as a whole?
In my experience, there are quite a few geo-
bloggers. However, it appears to me that there
are exceptionally few student bloggers. Although
it serves as great exposition to new topics and a
wider audience, I often hear about a lack of con-
fi dence about publishing on the world wide web.
Have you had any comments from your
employers and work colleagues?
In fact there have been many comments from
fellow students about articles. As I mentioned
before, there was even an email conversation
about an article I published with a colleague.
Another nice moment was at an interview with
OMV, where we got into a conversation about
my article in a book and subsequently my blog.
What do your family and partner think
about the blog?
They’re happy I do something that I like. Gener-
ally, it’s a nice way for them to keep up with cur-
rent topics I work with and think about. I know
some of the more technologically inclined are
even following my blog.
What are your favourite contributions to
the blog so far?
I have written a piece on moss billboards to
fi lter dirt particles for my Facebook page ‘The
Earth Story’, which I also shared on my blog. Of
course, my more philosophical post ‘Is working
in O&G amoral?’ is high on the list, as it was
printed in a book.
Are there any disadvantages to maintain-
ing a blog, e.g. a lot of time?
It does take some dedication and time to write
a blog, but it’s less than one might think. Some-
thing that is much worse is the so-called ‘im-
poster syndrome’. Every time I hit ‘publish’ on
my blog, I wait for the huge outcry of knowl-
edgeable people to call me out for my blunders.
But fortunately, this has yet to happen. It’s also
a hobby at my own expense. There’s no money
in it for me. However, the desire to travel to the
amazing sites I write about grows with every
word I put out there.
How do you feel about being so open
about your life on the Internet?
I don’t feel that this blog is revealing too much.
It’s an awesome opportunity to connect with
interesting people and learn a whole lot about
Earth in the process. I’ve grown up in a digital
generation and was taught early on that you
should be careful what you put out on the in-
ternet.
Will you always keep a blog - is it an
addiction?!
At least I will try. I think I’m contributing to
something, a body of science communication
and if there’s just one person thinking ‘oh that’s
cool’, that counts as a victory. In a sense, yes,
it is a bit addicting, making me very happy but
without the nasty downsides.
Can you briefl y describe your schooling
and career so far?
I started very early. In school I took part in state-
wide science fairs, ranging in topics from ‘Why
do we take desert sand for hour glasses?’ to ‘Do
volcanic and seismologic activity correlate at Mt
Etna’. During graduation year I started taking
university classes in geophysics. I continued to
do a Bachelor of Science and then went on to
do my Master’s degree in geophysics. I stretched
the Master’s degree out to take two semesters of
additional courses in geology and organized two
internships in Oslo, Norway and London. Right
now I’m fi nishing my Master’s thesis in seismic
subsalt imaging.
What is your career vision?
I would love a challenging position that enables
me to continuously broaden my horizon and see
the world. I have worked in seismic interpolation
and would love to continue working in seismic
or gather more experience in interpretation in
the O&G sector.
Do you get involved in EAGE events, local
chapters, etc?
I held a poster presentation at the EAGE about
my Bachelor’s thesis and enjoyed the events
of the student chapter very much. During the
GAP, the international student geophysics event
in Germany hosting 150 or so people, we had
the EAGE as a sponsor. I was involved as a main
organizer and in rescuing the EAGE booth that
got lost in shipping! I also took part in the Geo-
Quiz but Krakow won. Apart from that I was
looking into the EAGE Geophysics Boot Camp
this year.
Jesper Dramsch.
8 EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 1 2015
STUDENT CHAPTERS
Paris’ largest scientifi c university endorses student chapter initiative
Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC),
as Paris’ largest scientifi c university, gathers
a huge diversity of background, nationali-
ties and geoscience specialties, writes Mathieu Le
Breton, president of UPMC Geosciences new stu-
dent chapter.
The recently founded chapter helps us as stu-
dents to work together, strengthen networking,
and help to making decisions on future careers.
We run team projects around geosciences.
professionals and get industry insights. We are
also creating a sponsoring programme between
young professionals and fi nal-year students. Fi-
nally, since we are mostly Masters second year
students, it will be challenging to gather next
year’s team.
Christian Camerlynck, coordinator of the ap-
plied geophysics Masters programme, and offi cial
advisor of the student chapter, says that ‘learn-
ing to be a team player geophysicist is not just
developed in academic programmes, often too
focused on technical skill achievement. Extracur-
ricular activities such as the chapter are able to
fi ll a gap.’
Roger Guérin, head of Polytech Paris-UPMC
Earth Sciences Engineering department, says
‘UPMC geosciences Masters gives students geo-
scientifi c knowledge, while the student chapter
improves their geoscientifi c skills, such as building
projects in teams or increasing their network. This
combination of skills and knowledge gives them
the needed know-how to work in geosciences’.
Students start Malaysian university chapter
A grand opening of the recently established student chapter at
PETRONAS University of Technology (UTP) was held recently
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, offi ciated by EAGE Asia Pacifi c re-
gional manager, Gerard Wieggerink.
Around 20 undergraduate students founded the chapter, currently
led by Lee Ming Xiang with the help of other students who have taken
up different roles in the chapter organization. The chapter is being
advised by two geoscience lecturers, Abdul Halim and Siti Nur Fathiyah
Jamaludin.
The vision of the student body is to promote the development and
application of geosciences and related engineering subjects, particu-
larly in UTP’s Geoscience Faculty. The UTP chapter intends to expose
students to the geoscience world and increase their understanding
of the geoscience discipline, its application in oil and gas industry as
well as the current status of research and development in this area. It
also wants to promote innovation and technical progress and to foster
communication, fellowship and cooperation between UTP geoscience
students and industry.
In the near future, there is a plan to organize a few activities to help
better understanding of geoscience and EAGE as a whole. One plan
is to organize a fi eld trip to some limestone sites around Malaysia for
greater understanding in carbonates rock. On top of that, there will be
talks as well as an exhibition covering geology, geophysics and petro-
leum geoscience in the second half of the year.
PETRONAS University of Technology (UTP) is a Malaysian private uni-
versity established in 1997. It provides opportunities for the pursuit of
knowledge and expertise for the advancement of engineering, science
and technology to enhance the nation’s competitiveness.
The EAGE-UTP-SC committee members during a meeting.
First conference about geoscience careers. Speaker (standing right) is Brice Lecampion, Schlumberger.
EAGE was the motivator for submitting a FIELD
Challenge essay and two abstracts on university
research-related acquisition and interpretation
projects. In addition, professionals from CGG,
Schlumberger, GDF Suez and IFP School kindly
agreed to give talks about their jobs. Students
love these professional presentations.
Later this year we will organize more pro-
fessional talks as well as join the Madrid EAGE
Annual Meeting to present our projects, meet
9EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 1 2015
STUDENT CHAPTERS
Youth Petroleum Club (YPC) is the latest project by Gubkin Uni-
versity EAGE Student Chapter and the Russian Association of
Students of the Fuel and Energy Complex (RASTEK).
Youth Petroleum Club is a scientifi c-practical club, which deals with
the development of skills and insight into issues in the petroleum in-
dustries through the solving of real problems. The project is designed
A student conference in Russia proved
to be the inspiration for the setting up
of the fi rst EAGE Student Chapter in
Turkey. Members of the newly formed Istanbul
Technical University EAGE Student Chapter (ITU
EAGE) say that under the ITU’s umbrella, they
had been seeking collaboration between differ-
ent departments to create a sense of community
amongst undergraduate and graduate students
interested in the geosciences.
When they met with students from other
countries at the international meeting in Russia,
the solution to their problem came to mind. It
was the idea to form an EAGE Student Chapter.
Since January the Chapter has been in operation
to promote the earth sciences at ITU, with Ayse
Kaslilar, an assistant professor in the Geophysical
Engineering Department, acting as advisor to the
Chapter.
This is what the students say about the devel-
opment: ‘We encouraged people to be a part of
our ITU-EAGE Student Chapter by informing them
about the advantages of EAGE membership, such
as sponsored membership, travel grants, student
lecture tours, online geo-quizes and published
materials. We believe that the EAGE Student
Chapter will contribute to improving our relation-
ships as well as our knowledge. We aim to pro-
vide information about academic and professional
career opportunities; to become a platform for
networking among all majors; to improve the re-
lations between community and industry; and to
organize fi eld trips/camps to gain more practical
experience.’
Istanbul Technical University prides itself on hav-
ing a multi-cultural environment, appreciated by
the students since its foundation. It provides to its
students innovative educational facilities by using
its international contacts to help young, talented
individuals who are able to work not only within
their country’s borders but also in the global arena.
Meantime the country of Turkey has its own
distinctive ‘geo’ profi le. It occupies a very special
geographic position at the crossroads between
Europe and Asia bordered by three different
seas and located on an active tectonic region,
in the centre of the Alpine-Himalayan Mountain
Belt. This complex geological zone leads to wide
range of geological occurrences such as major
fault zones with large earthquakes, high potential
geothermal resources, wide range of mines and
minerals. Istanbul is the economic, cultural, and
historical heart of Turkey and has a unique texture
formed by the fusion of many cultures.
for young professionals, and provides a new scientifi c environment for
students and young professionals designed to enable them to realize
their leadership, scientifi c and creative potential. Activities of YPC take
place under guidance of experts focusing on the evaluation and sup-
port of new projects aimed at applications in industry.
Alexander Repnik, the author and leader of the project, spoke at the
presentation about the importance of shifting the focus to developing
people with a special mindset: ‘Investments into human capital should
be the key for great achievements. We will try to make a modest con-
tribution to inspiring a new generation of leaders for the energy indus-
try. We are open to new members and new partners all over the world.
Let’s create together a new petroleum generation’.
The project at Gubkin University is supported by the department of
exploration geophysics and computer systems headed by Prof Valeriy
Ryzhkov, who is very attentive to student initiatives. Students have par-
ticipated actively in the event and they would like to participate in fu-
ture realizations of this project. Members of YPC with specifi c respon-
sibilities include Alexander Repnik, Alexander Eliseev, Arsen Adilbekov
and Alibek Alisoltanov.
Intellectual tournament among universities organised by Gubkin University
EAGE Student Chapter.
Youth petroleum club launched at Gubkin University
Students inaugurate fi rst Chapter in Turkey
10 EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 1 2015
INDUSTRY NEWS
Why oil and gas industry employers are worried
Skills shortages are again the biggest concern for employers (30%) in the oil and gas busi-
ness with economic instability a close second (24%), according to the sixth annual Hays Oil
& Gas Salary Guide.
The fi nding is said to refl ect the nervousness that had already crept into the industry when
this survey was undertaken last November. Twenty-nine per cent of employers cited inadequate
succession planning for knowledge transfer and skills retention as the key cause of skills short-
ages within the industry. While potential layoffs could lessen the skills shortage locally, there will
continue to be shortages for experienced talent within in-demand skill areas, such as subsea,
petroleum engineering and increasingly LNG.
John Faraguna, managing director, Hays Oil & Gas, said: ‘Since we collated the data the indus-
try has been through unprecedented times. Projects with attractive economics are likely to con-
tinue, but new projects will come under increased scrutiny and, if no longer economically viable
under the new oil price regime, could be postponed or cancelled.
‘However, teams managing day-to-day operations still require the resources necessary to com-
plete projects on time and within budget. At the other end of the spectrum, smaller businesses
are responding to recent changes by focusing on interim hiring, shifting from multi-year contracts
to short-term specialist assignments.’
Ninety-fi ve per cent of oil and gas professionals said salary is the most important factor when
considering a new role. In addition, 92% of job seekers judge company reputation as a crucial
element in their decision-making process when evaluating new job opportunities.
The guide included responses from more than 45,000 oil and gas professionals across 25 disci-
plines in 188 countries worldwide. Signifi cantly, 10,000 respondents globally were employers or
hiring managers within the industry. However, due to the timing of the survey the fall in global oil
prices has not been fully refl ected in the guide.
To attract top talent, 72% of employers felt they had to make improvements to their employ-
ee offering in the last year, including training and development, compensation and rewards.
As company reputation is such a signifi cant factor for job seekers in evaluating a job oppor-
tunity, employers increasingly have to develop a compelling employee value proposition to be
perceived as an employer of choice. In order to compete for the best talent and niche skills,
employers must showcase their training and professional development programmes to help
promote their brand and set themselves
apart in the industry.
With hiring plans impacted, employers
are faced with diffi cult decisions: how to re-
duce costs while still having the right skills
to deliver projects. Furthermore, a decrease
in hiring is likely to exacerbate the skills gap
and could result in further skills shortages in
the future. This year’s survey revealed 22.5%
of respondents worldwide are aged 50 and
above, which means that a signifi cant por-
tion of the tenured, skilled workforce will
be retiring over the next 5+ years. With the
anticipated reduced hiring of Gen Y workers
due to market conditions, the future genera-
tion of industry leaders, the industry may be
creating a future skills gap issue, much like it
did in the mid-to-late 1980s.
Fracking schools open up in UK
A National College for Onshore Oil
and Gas, based in Blackpool, has
been given the go-ahead by UK
Business, Enterprise and Energy Minister
Matthew Hancock.
The fi rst national UK shale colleges will
be linked to fi ve institutions across the UK,
including the Weir Advanced Research Cen-
tre at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland.
The new centres of excellence will train the
next generation of onshore oil and gas spe-
cialists, allowing Britain to make the most of
economic opportunities offered by natural
shale gas.
Hancock said: ‘Shale gas is an enormous
opportunity for the UK and one that we sim-
ply can’t afford to miss out on. Imagine if
we had passed up a similar opportunity to
go into the North Sea some 50 years ago.
What if we’d let that oil and gas stay in the
ground? What if we’d said it was too dif-
fi cult or too controversial?
‘The whole country would be poorer, fi -
nance would account for an even greater
share of our economy; I am not prepared
to pass up a once-in-a-generation economic
opportunity, with the potential for indus-
try to invest up to £33 billion in the next
15 years or so.’
He said the shale and gas industry is ex-
pected to create around 64,500 jobs.
Industry group the United Kingdom On-
shore Oil and Gas (UKOOG) led the bid to
set up the college.
Skills shortage for oil industry could be looming.
Matthew Hancock, Business, Enterprise and
Energy Minister.
11EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 1 2015
INDUSTRY NEWS
Amongst the scholarships announced are
two full tuition scholarships at the gradu-
ate level, with fi ve 50% tuition scholarships
for taught Masters programmes and over
50 scholarships of €2000 euros. At un-
dergraduate level the university is offering
scholarships valued between 50% of the
full tuition fee and €2500.
University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland
has announced a scholarship to attract
students from India. The €250,000
scholarship funding is for students of both post-
graduate and UG programmes. The university
has also launched two new Masters level courses
in petroleum geosciences and actuarial sciences.
Gerald Byrne, vice president and college prin-
cipal, UCD College of Engineering and Architec-
ture, said: ‘We want to create awareness about
the possibilities for Indian students in Dublin in
the areas of science, technology and engineer-
ing. Also, we are developing a number of new
projects with key universities in India. With the
funding initiative we want to help more stu-
dents to come and study here and have a new
learning experience. Each scholarship will also
have a stipend to cover the living expenses.’
Funding initiative brings Indian students to Dublin
UK oil and gas doctoral training centre launched
University College Dublin campus.
Alistair Carmichael, Secretary of State for Scotland.
Secretary of State for Scotland Alistair
Carmichael has visited Heriot-Watt’s
Edinburgh Campus to hear about the
newly launched NERC Centre for Doctoral Train-
ing (CDT) in Oil and Gas and meet the fi rst co-
hort of students.
The £9m CDT combines the very best of aca-
demic and industrial expertise to train the next
generation of top level geoscience and environ-
mental researchers in oil and gas. It involves 17
UK universities, the British Geological Survey, the
National Oceanography Centre and nine spon-
sor companies. The £9M investment is funded
by £2.7m from NERC, £5.3m from the host high-
er education institutions plus over £1m already
pledged by the nine industry sponsors.
The CDT affords the opportunity for postgrad-
uate students to base their studies at their re-
spective higher education institutions but spend
periods during their four-year PhD undertaking
bespoke courses and specialist modules deliv-
ered by academic and industry experts as part of
a unique training academy.
Carmichael said: ‘I really valued the chance to
visit Heriot-Watt University and see how £2.7m
of Research Council funding is enabling Scotland
and the rest of the UK to remain at the forefront
of the Oil and Gas industry.’
Professor John Underhill, academic lead for
the NERC CDT in Oil and Gas, Shell Professor of
Exploration Geoscience at Heriot-Watt Univer-
sity, and former EAGE president, said: ‘Industry
experts have described the NERC CDT in Oil and
Gas as a truly game-changing initiative which
provides a unique opportunity to undertake and
contextualise oil and gas research and training to
address the energy challenge to keep the lights
on whilst respecting and addressing any environ-
mental impact it has.
Australian science students to learn from virtual cave tours
From classrooms around the country,
students in Australia will embark on
a digital journey exploring the iconic
Jenolan Caves, an important scientifi c en-
vironment full of learning opportunities. As
they progress through quests, the students
will explore the surrounding environment
and complete inquiry based learning tasks
that test their core science skills.
This virtual excursion is made possible by
the partnership between computer scientists
from CSIRO together with science education
experts from 3P Learning to develop
‘immersive learning’ environments.
Malcolm Turnball, Minister of Com-
munications, said: ‘This fantastic edu-
cation initiative enables students from
across Australia to explore locations from
their home or classroom, while improv-
ing their science skills along the way. It
makes online excursions a reality for stu-
dents who may never get the chance to
visit Australia’s most iconic sites.’
The programme combines 3P Learn-
ing’s latest educational resource, IntoSci-
ence, with high-defi nition panoramic vid-
eo and 3D models of real places scanned
using CSIRO’s award-winning laser map-
ping technology, Zebedee. CSIRO’s tech-
nology is the fi rst capable of mapping
caves with lasers while continuously mov-
ing, which makes it more effi cient and
more detailed than traditional methods.
12 EAGE NEWSLETTER STUDENTS ISSUE 1 2015
INDUSTRY NEWS / CALENDAR
EAGE Students Event Calendar April 20152 April Student Lecture Tour Asia Pacific
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
3 April Student Lecture Tour Asia Pacific
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
7 April Student Lecture Tour Asia Pacific Yangon, Myanmar
10 April Student Lecture Tour Asia Pacific Bandung, Indonesia
16-17 April 1st African Great Lakes Petroleum and Geoscience
Conference & Exhibition Kampala, Uganda
23-26 April Geosphere 2015 Silesia region, Poland
May 201514-17 May Geophysical Activity Programme (GAP) 2015
Freiburg, Germany
27 May Baku ‘15 Student Programme Baku, Azerbaijan
June 20151 June FIELD Challenge 2015 finals Madrid, Spain
2 June EAGE Geo-Quiz (global) Madrid, Spain
1-4 June Madrid 2015 Student Programme Madrid, Spain
4 June EAGE Student Chapter Meeting Madrid, Spain
July 201513-16 July IGSC 6 Prague, Czech Republic
13-27 July White Sea Field Camp on Shallow Geophysics 2015
Kandalaksha Gulf, Russia
27 Jul - 1 Aug 3rd Latin American Geosciences Student Conference
Niterói, Brazil
Holmes and the curious case of remote sensingThe legendary Sherlock Holmes mysteries writ-
ten by Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 19th and
early 20th century are currently enjoying a major
revival of media interest with TV drama series in
both the UK and the US loosely based on Holmes
and his partner Watson. Curious as it may seem,
the forensic skills of the great fi ctional detective
have been applied to produce an educational
guide to remote sensing.
The recently published Remote Sensing in
Action: The Curious Case of Sherlock Holmes and
Albert Einstein (SEG Geophysical Monograph Se-
ries No. 18) provides a unique and entertaining
use of the well-loved characters created by Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle to unravel and explain the
historical underpinnings of remote sensing.
The authors Enders Robinson and Dean Clark
effectively question how we learn about the
scientifi c method asking whether new theories
or experimental results are communicated effec-
tively by traditional methods (e.g., presentations
at professional meetings or publication in a peer-
reviewed journal). Their response is that the scien-
tifi c method needs to be applied to the scientifi c
method itself to fi nd out if other styles of commu-
nication might work better.
The extended appendices guarantee that all
of the science of remote sensing is included in
this book of ‘scientifi c fi ction’. The story covers
more than 2000 years, beginning with Pythago-
ras in ancient Greece and ending with Einstein’s
fi rst article on relativity in 1905. Light-years be-
yond a traditional science textbook, this detec-
tive story set in 1905 is designed to teach stu-
dents of all ages about the exciting journey of
scientifi c discovery.
The authors’s credentials for attempting such
an ambitious and entertaining project combine
the expertise of a very distinguished geoscience
innovator and a geoscience editor with a life-
long interest in everything Sherlock Holmes.
Enders A. Robinson is professor emeritus of
geophysics at Columbia University in the Mau-
rice Ewing and J. Lamar Worzel Chair. He was
a key infl uence in the introduction of digital
seismic processing and was a founder and fi rst
director of the Geophysical Analysis Group at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),
where he earned degrees in mathematics (BS),
economics (MS) and geophysics (PhD). Dean
Clark, long-time editor of SEG’s The Leading
Edge until his retirement in 2013, has written
short stories and short plays based on charac-
ters in the Sherlock Holmes stories of Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle and also participates in a number
of Holmes-related societies and activities.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller as Holmes.