Graduate Students Attend One-Day Seminar for Hydrocarbon Explorationists on Missed Opportunities and Surprise Successes

Event Sponsored by Geophysical Society of Houston and the Geological Society of Houston

The Geophysical Society of Houston and the Geological Society of Houston jointly sponsored a one-day seminar in November with a panel of 15 experts on hydrocarbon exploration. The seminar was entitled Integrated Geoscience Case Studies: Lessons from Missed Opportunities and Surprise Successes.

Geophysical Society of Houston and the Geological Society of Houston Logos

The program, convened by Drs. Charles Sternbach (Star Creek Exploration) and Katya Casey (U3 Explore), consisted of 15 keynote talks by experts (all with more than 30 years of experience). The talks were followed by Q and A sessions and panel discussion groups that included Dr. Brian Horn (President-elect of AAPG) and Dr. Joseph Reilly (President-elect of SEG).

Seminar Speakers

In addition to professional attendees, the audience included 17 current M.S. and Ph.D. graduate students from geoscience programs at the University of Houston, Rice University, and Stephen F. Austin State University.

Seminar Attendees
Seminar convenor Charles Sternbach with 17 graduate student seminar attendees from Stephen F Austin University, Rice University, and the University of Houston.

Case studies presented in the 15 talks included the Niger Delta, the North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, offshore Myanmar, and the South Atlantic rifted margins. The case studies described a variety of methods of tools (ocean bottom cables, enhanced data processing and interpretation methods, direct hydrocarbon indicators, source rock detection, and integration of multiple data sets). Participants discussed the role of geoscientists in adapting to new technologies and the evolving landscape of energy exploration.

The lunch program consisted of a talk by Kevin Nealon (Geophysics manager, Chevron) on advancing the frontiers of seismic imaging. The event concluded with a social hour, where students could network with experienced geoscientists and representatives from sponsoring companies.

Meeting sponsors included Chevron, Thunder Exploration, Star Creek Energy, Houston Energy, Murphy Oil, U3 Explore, Petrophysical Solutions, Mike Forrest, ZTerra, and Patterson Geoscience Group.

Special thanks go to Charles and Linda Sternbach of Star Creek Energy, whose generous sponsorship allowed all 17 graduate students to attend this event with no registration charge.