We are heading into the fall and it is an appropriate time for the board to take a hard look at the strategy and main goals of our society and share with our members what has been accomplished and what remains to be done.

Last April, our Past President John Duhault wrote an article on the ‘Changing of the Guard’ and shared the strategic plan of the board. This plan has been in place since 2016 and focuses on four main themes:

  1. Financial Health of the CSEG
  2. Member Value;
  3. Promotion of Profession,
  4. Position of the CSEG as a professional society

Aligned with these themes the board currently has two priorities, as shared by the current president Ron Newman at the beginning of this year. These priorities are:

  1. Professional Development Education;
  2. Modernization.

Providing professional development opportunities for our members is an ongoing priority for the CSEG. The Doodle- Train will run again this November from the 5th to 9th. This year we have 21 courses taught by leading industry experts in the categories of 1) Geology and Seismic Interpretation, 2) Fundamentals, 3) Seismic Beyond the Stack Section, and 4) Rock Physics, and Geomechanics. Three of these courses are already sold out, so sign up quickly.

The CSEG will host the National Distinguished Lecture Tour, this year featuring the accomplished David Gray. David’s talk “An Unconventional View of Geoscience” will use examples from his career and education to show how thinking outside the box can be used to develop new technologies and to promote the value of geoscience. You can follow David’s tour across Canada on the CSEG website.

Monthly luncheons at the Calgary Petroleum Club are also continuing, the November 5th talk will be ‘Probabilistic Seismic Inversion Using Pseudo-Wells’ by Patrick Connolly. This presentation was awarded Best Paper Presented at the 2017 SEG Annual Meeting. These luncheons provide ideal opportunities to network with other individuals in our industry (academia, contractors, other E&P companies, etc.). For members who are currently underemployed there are options to attend these events at reduced rates. If you forget to register for the lunch you can still hear the talk for $10; walkups are allowed. Please check the CSEG website or newsletter for more information.

Please come out to these events! Providing these educational opportunities is one of the most important ways that we can serve our membership and for those licensed as a Professional Geoscientist, these luncheons may fall under Informal Activity.

Modernization covers a host of initiatives and ongoing concept developments as the CSEG works to define what a successful professional association looks like in the online world. Your board will be seeking input on priorities in this transition via surveys (short, we promise), and direct conversations. We would encourage all of our members to contact the board directly with ideas or comments, and to participate in other communication channels as we develop them.

As Ron shared with you earlier in the year, the CSEG is projecting a deficit budget for the fourth year in a row. Deficit budgets are not sustainable in the long term, and though there are small signs of improvement, spending must remain closely controlled in the short term. Reducing this deficit without cutting member programs would not be possible without our corporate sponsors and we are incredibly grateful for all of the support we have received. To become a sponsor please contact Jim Racette.

These challenges are why a portion of this summer’s membership survey focused on what our members value most about their current CSEG experience, and what new opportunities they would support. This information will allow the board to focus resources on member priorities. We are excited about this survey and the opportunity for feedback that it gives our membership. Hopefully it will help us define our focus as we move towards 2019. Stay tuned here for updates!

We would also like to thank all of the volunteers who continue to support our society’s ongoing social and educational events. These people make our society great. We would also like to thank all the members who have attended our courses, luncheons, seminars and other events. Please continue to support the CSEG; together, we make this society a great place to belong.

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