Articles
Useful Mistakes, Cognitive Biases and Seismic
Lee Hunt
We come to conventions and Symposia to hear about success and bask in the glory of our awesome, successful colleagues. But mistakes may also lead to useful learning opportunities. After all, we often mistakenly look upon our successes as if they are the result of some intrinsic property of ourselves,…
Software Correctness
Stewart Trickett
If I were to choose one overarching philosophy for how software should be developed, it would be to program for correctness — that is, do everything practical to reduce errors.
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Depth Imaging – Above and Beyond Reflections: The Why and How of Your Pre-stack Depth Migration Project
Svetlana Bidikhova and Mike Hall
When I was a student, I learned the magical, melodic word “migration” but not in relation to butterflies, birds or wildebeests. Since then, I have dedicated several years of my post-graduate research work to migration, only to understand the brilliance of the Socratic Paradox that, "I know that I know…
Focus Introduction: Potential Careers in Sustainability and Renewables
Keith Hirsche and Joan Embleton
There are many who do not believe renewables will provide solutions to our energy needs. Some feel that the Paris Accord is based upon a fundamental misconception of climate history and science and the push to meet its requirements are mistaken. They feel strongly by moving towards renewables, electrification (electric…
Geophysics for an Energy Transition
Kathleen Dorey
As the world is slowly transitioning to non-traditional forms of energy use and consumption there are a number of energy related projects that still require high level geophysical applications in Canada and around the world. In the last few years projects outside the traditional oil and gas space have still…
Geothermal Energy – A Sustainable Alternative to Well Abandonment
Jeremy Boak, Alan J Cohen, Salah Faroughi, Hamed Soroush and Maria Richards
Geothermal energy has the potential to supply more energy than the global total of oil and natural gas combined. It is renewable, stable, and has a minimal carbon footprint. Geothermal power plants can produce electricity consistently, constantly, and without regard to weather conditions.
... A Tale of Two Energy Industries
Keith Hirsche
Can’t think of a better way to start a conversation about today’s energy industries than to borrow this famous phrase from Charles Dickens. It was the Worst of Times…
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The Hydrogen Transition is Here – A Simplified Glance at Major Factors and Concerns
Dilpreet Singh
What’s going on? Are these trends sustainable? What is the role of a geoscientist in this crazy new world? There are many different viewpoints on where we see the future of energy heading in the coming years and decades.
... The RenuWell Workforce Training Program
Andrea Hasenbank and Scott Meunier
Over the past three months we have had the good fortune of working with a team of diverse experts at the RenuWell project to build a training program that is a compelling example of the kinds of rapid upskilling programs we need to support fossil fuel industry and Indigenous workers…
The RenuWell Project
Keith Hirsche
The oil and gas industry has fueled our society through a period of unprecedented economic prosperity for more than a Century. Given this vital role at the core of our industrialized world, who could have imagined that NextEra, a Green Energy utility would ever be worth more than ExxonMobil or…
The Waves of the Past are Lapping the Shores of the Future
Juli Rohl
I started my career with ambitions of becoming a great geologist. Eventually, however, I learned that while I could become a good geologist, I would never be a truly great geologist. The difference was heart. My heart just wasn’t in it. Unlike many of my colleagues, I didn’t get a…
Transitioning from Mining to Solar
Adam Yereniuk
When I left the mining industry in 2015 to start a business in the solar energy industry, I knew little about solar or business. It was a very scary shift, but in my heart, it felt like the right move for my long-term career. What I lacked in knowledge; I…
From Land Management to Sustainability
Alyssa Bruce
In recognition of the measures required to mitigate climate change, the Government of Canada is proposing ambitious objectives to meet and exceed its greenhouse gas reduction commitments under the Paris Agreement and achieve net zero emissions by 2050, tabling the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act in November 2020 (Government of Canada, 2020).
... From Subsurface to a Venture Capital and Business Incubator
Jim Hollis
I am an exploration geophysicist by training as well as by passion. I have spent the last 30 years involved in the development and commercialization of exploration technologies that help us better understand the subsurface – mostly in the search for hydrocarbons. I was fortunate to be involved in the…
How a curious geophysicist set the stage for a low-impact mining breakthrough
Doug Schouten
The Athabasca Basin in the Canadian Shield is a stark and rugged wilderness that harbours the world's leading source of high-grade uranium. It is challenging terrain, remotely located, and generally inhospitable to those who visit. For one geophysicist deployed in the area, however, the striking landscape served as inspiration for…
Introduction to October Focus: Future of the Oilsands
Brian Schulte
The goal was to talk about initiatives to reduce GHGs emissions in the oilsands, but a lot of this is surrounded by secrecy. Through Cole Narfason (Oil Sands Strategy Support Student - Suncor), I managed to get a paper from Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance.
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The COSIA Land Innovation Opportunity: Seeking Innovators to Develop our ‘Approaching Zero Footprint
Christine A. Daly, Jack O’Neill and Megan Boutin
Innovative. Creative. Committed. These words have defined Canada’s oil sands industry for decades and are what drives people and companies to find new ways to make the industry more competitive and to reduce the environmental footprint.
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Pricing and Future of Natural Gas
Brian Wm. Schulte and Jim Felton
We acknowledge that the scope of this paper may include some forward-thinking ideas some may disagree with. We welcome your insights and perspectives. It’s precisely the fact that so many variables, most of which are uncontrollable, some unforeseeable (e.g., COVID-19), makes working in and following the world’s most important industry…
Orange Shirt Day – Kihci-ita-kis-iw “Kihci-ita-kis-iw” is Cree for “All living things matter”
Brian Wm. Schulte
Many may not know what Orange shirt day is and also what is happening in regards to two programs (REDEVELOP challenge and NIYAK) being offered through five Universities across Canada in regard to their work with Indigenous people.
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Family business, tradition, work ethics and entrepreneurialism
Eva Drivet
Once in a while, you come across a compelling “oil patch story” that inspires, and reflects on the resilience and leadership of members of our Geo-community. As little girls, Lisa Eastman and her sister Susan thought all kids grew up playing on seismic equipment parked in the yard. Their mother…
