2004/2005 CSEG Scholarships

The CSEG Scholarship Trust Fund was established July 1, 1975 and is run by a minimum of three volunteers in any given year. Currently, the Scholarship Trust Fund is the only charitable organization associated with the CSEG, but will soon form the basis for the new CSEG Foundation presently being established. The scholarships are funded primarily through generous corporate and individual donations, and also through interest generated by memorial trust funds.

In order to qualify for an award, students should be enrolled at a Canadian university in an academic program leading to an exploration geophysics career in industry, teaching or research. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic performance, financial need, interest in geophysics and extracurricular activities. For the 2004/2005 academic year fifteen scholarships were awarded to the following students.

Congratulations to all these deserving students!

Saleh Al-Saleh — (Talisman)

I received my bachelor degree in geophysics from the University of the Pacific in 1996. Then I worked for Saudi Aramco as a seismic data processor. In 2001, I received my master degree in geophysics from the University of Texas at Austin. My thesis was about processing and imaging multi-component data in the tau-p domain. Currently, I am a second year graduate student at the University of Calgary pursuing a PhD degree in geophysics. I am working on imaging by wavefield extrapolation and migration velocity analysis. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the CSEG Scholarship Committee and Talisman for awarding me the CSEG scholarship.

Catherine Alexandrakis — (Burlington)

Catherine received her honors Geophysics undergraduate degree from the University of Western Ontario this year. Her honors thesis focused on the processing and interpretation of high-resolution seismic marine data obtained in the North Evia Gulf, Greece. It was a cooperative project between the University of Western Ontario and the Hellenic Center for Marine Research. Catherine is looking forward to starting her Masters studies at Western this fall.

Zhihong Cao — (Matrix)

With a bachelor’s degree in Geophysics and a master’s degree in Geology obtained in P. R. China, Zhihong Cao is now a 3rd year graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in Geophysics at University of Calgary, supported by the CREWES Project. She is really enjoying her thesis on suppressing multiples using the Radon transform. She hopes to get a chance to gain practical experience from the geophysical petroleum exploration industry in Canada after her graduation. Many thanks to the CSEG Scholarship Committee and Matrix Geoservices Ltd. for helping sponsor her studies in Canada.

Kelley Classen — (GX Technology)

I am currently an undergraduate student at the University of Calgary where I am pursuing a major in Geophysics and a minor in Earth Science. The past summer I had the pleasure of working for a gas and oil company downtown Calgary and look forward to working with them again next summer. Upon graduation I hope to gain more experience in the exploration industry for a few years and eventually return to school to complete my masters degree in Geophysics. I love what I am taking and will hopefully enjoy my future career just as much.

Xiang Du — (Geo-X)

I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. degree at CREWES, University of Calgary. My field of interest is wave propagation and image studies. I have made some research on the comparison among different migration algorithms, such as PSPI, Gaussian beam, Reverse-time migration, and worked on a new differential operator used in modeling and migration. Now, I am doing some research on the migration algorithms for tilted transverse isotropic media.

I received an M.Sc. in Solid Mechanics from Tsinghua University in 2002. While acquiring this degree I researched wave propagation, processing with multi-resolution wavelets, and genetic algorithms.

Sonia Graham — (Kelman)

Fold - Fault Research Project Degree Program: M.Sc., Geophysics, University of Calgary

Education: B.Sc. Geology, National University, 1989, Colombia Bachelor of Business Administration, Administrative Sciences School, 1987, Colombia

Employment History:
2001: Talisman Energy – Geophysical Interpreter
1999 – 2000: Emerald Energy - Manager Geophysics
1997 – 1999: Chevron Petroleum - Senior Geophysicist
1995 – 1997: Consultant - Seismic acquisition quality control
1994: Ecopetrol – Reservoir Geologistz
1993: Sismocol – Seismic acquisition quality control
1988 – 1992: Texaco, Colombia – Field Geologist and Geophysical Interpreter

Academic Interests: My research interest is depth imaging in fold and t h rust belts. I am currently working in depth imaging in the foothills of the Llanos Basin, Colombia.

Stephen Kearsey — (Sensor)

I am a graduate student with the Pan-Atlantic Petroleum Systems Consortium (PPSC) at Memorial University of Newfoundland, under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Enachescu. My research concentrates on an integrated interpretation of the Orphan Basin, offshore Newfoundland, using potential fields and modern - high resolution 2-D seismic data donated by GSI of Calgary. The objective is to determine the basin architecture, tectonic and structural evolution, and influence on the resulting petroleum system.

I previously worked for a summer with PanCanadian Petroleum, as a geophysicist with GEDCO in Calgary, and a summer/fall term with ExxonMobil’s geophysical operations group in Houston. Most recently I was a participant on the summer 2004 GSC sponsored research cruise to the Orphan Basin, studying shallow geo hazards for future drilling, and to determine the origin of deepwater seamounds on the Orphan Knoll. After completing my degree I intend to continue working on Canada’s frontier hydrocarbon basins and promoting Newfoundland and Labrador’s vast offshore exploration potential.

Elizabeth L’Heureux — (GEDCO)

I started my Ph.D. in September 2003 after completing a master’s degree on the subject of meteorite impact craters. More specifically, I studied the geophysical signature of the Wanapitei impact crater in Sudbury, Ontario, using magnetics, gravity and high frequency seismics. Since then I have switched gears to work on the application of 3D seismics to the exploration for mineral resources. I am currently working with data from the west end of the Sudbury structure and studying the seismic response of massive sulphide deposits. I am looking forward to a career as an industry geophysicist.

Faranak Mahmoudian — (Hampson–Russell)

I am from Iran, and was born and raised in Tehran. I received my B.Sc. in applied physics in 2000 from Khage Nasir Toosi University of Technology in Tehran. Then I came to Calgary with the motivation of continuing my education in Geophysics. Currently I am pursuing a M.Sc. with Dr. Gary Margrave in University of Calgary as a member of CREWES Project. I love Geophysics as a practical example of Mathematics and physics applications in nature. Currently I am interested in AVO analysis, seismic data processing, seismic imaging, and seismic wave propagation. I enjoy recreational hiking, swimming, cooking and listening to music. I am married and have one beautiful daughter.

Somanath Misra — (Sigma, I/O, CGG)

The following paragraph briefly describes my personal and academic interests, and my career aspirations.

Personal interests: I like to listen to Indian music. I also love to play badminton.

Academic interests: Currently I am working on seismic signal processing for my Ph.D. program at the University of Alberta. I am looking forward to applying the concepts of fuzzy logic, neural networks and genetic algorithms in the processing of seismic data. My interest lies in developing such methods that can make the data processing more efficient and cost effective.

Career aspirations: After completion of my PhD program I would like to work in the oil industry, particularly in research and development.

Carlos A. Montana — (Petro-Canada)

Carlos is from Bucaramanga, Colombia. He received a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering fro m the Universidad Industrial de Santander. He then worked for 5 years on contract with the Colombian Petroleum Institute, the research branch of the national oil company. He was processing seismic information and supporting research projects. He is now enrolled in a Ph. D. program in the CREWES Project at the University of Calgary, working with Dr. Gary Margrave in the refinement of the Gabor deconvolution method to compensate for attenuation. He enjoys swimming, hiking and bike riding, and is fond of classical movies and literature.

Jennifer Nafziger — (Apoterra)

Jennifer is currently working on her degree in Geological Engineering at the University of Waterloo. She recently completed an internship with Komex’s geophysics group in Calgary. She enjoys spending time outdoors engaged in a variety of pursuits. In the future, Jennnifer plans to continue her studies at the graduate level and apply her geophysical knowledge to a variety of environmental and geotechnical applications.

Aditya Pattanaik — (CNRL)

A student of Memorial University, I will be graduating in May with an Honors degree in Geophysics. I have developed a strong acclivity towards the discipline of seismology and specializing in this field is one amongst my long-term career goals. I am currently working on my honors thesis, which is aimed at characterizing the effect of the 3-D nature of geology on the 2- D heterogeneity analysis of seismic reflection data.

Outside academia, I divide my time between Aikido, music and my jobs as a research assistant, a resident assistant and a tutor.

Sergey Samsonov — (Chris Elms/Bob Won/Ted Popilchak Memorial Funds, Larry Lines)

I am currently a second year graduate student at the University of Western Ontario working towards a Ph.D. in Geophysics and Environmental Science. My main interests are in remote sensing, specifically ground deformations as imaged by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR). The InSAR has been proven to be a valuable tool for monitoring the ground deformations of various natures - seismic activity, subsidence due to groundwater pumping and mining activities, etc. - therefore, I believe, it has a great future. However, the limitation of InSAR is that it only measures Line of Site (LoS) displacement. The goal of my current research is to decompose LoS displacement into 3 components by using a Bayesian statistical approach. I am also interested in environmental and hazard management aspects of InSAR. Upon graduation, I am planning to pursue a career in Geophysics at the university, private company or government agency which will give me the opportunity to continue research and advance my knowledge. In my spare time I enjoy spending time outdoors including walking and gardening. I enjoy living in Canada.

Hernan Ugalde — (Suncor)

I am a Ph.D. Student at University of Toronto. My main research area is the geophysical signature of terrestrial impact structures. I am also interested in the development of potential fields data processing and interpretation tools, as well as magnetization processes. My career aspirations are to join an institution where I could use both my past experience as an exploration geophysicist, and my theoretical background acquired during my graduate studies.