The summer will be over by the time this prints and it is back to business in September. September is a busy month for our Association with our Annual Geophysical Seminar held in Red Deer (Sept 19-20). This event is a 2 day seminar dealing with all current issues relating to the Geophysical Industry. This year with events concerning the public in Alberta such as the Nanton watershed and the Marie Lake programs we are seeing more and more requirement for public engagement prior to seismic programs occurring. Another looming issue is the Pine Beetle epidemic in the forests. This is changing the way forests react to fire and the general operating requirements for Industry in general. These are but a few of the timely topics that will be on the agenda. See our website for more information.
Good vibrations! That’s the theme for our Seismic in Motion (SIM) field trip this year being held outside of Calgary during the first week of October. We will host the event on October 2, 3 and 4 – a one-day field trip held over each of those 3 days. The event includes bus transportation out of Calgary, all the required safety gear and a hot lunch. All you have to bring is your interest and attention.
Once again we have teamed up with CSEG Outre a c h Committee and the CAPP GEO committee to host 150 students from the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) system. This is an exciting partnership that will no doubt produce an excellent opportunity for youth to see something of the Energy business and understand some of its intricacies. In addition we have hosted Industry folks, Oil Company Staff, Regulators, Interested Stakeholders, and the Media. The reviews have continued to be outstanding.
This event was hosted in Alberta in 2006 and in 2005 had a BC edition in Fort St John. It features all aspects of seismic – from surveying to line cutting, from drilling to recording, and f e a t u res special demonstrations of shooting seismic and observing a helicopter long line rescue operation. This event is put on by the contractors and is supported by the Oil Companies in a truly cooperative manner. Such an event takes a great deal of time, effort and resources to put together.
In each of last two years we have put together a DVD and CD of the event running about 20 minutes. One was fashioned after a Seismic 101 while the other was set up to highlight our various occupations and training through Enform. They are offered free of charge through the Association in case you might have interest in viewing the activity. We have distributed this product amongst the industry, regulators and also to many educational outlets. A number of our members have used this footage in their public stakeholder engagements.
The event is characterized as a day out in the field. Seismic has become increasingly linear with various aspects separated by time and distance. Gone are the days when the office staff and/or even the geophysicists get out to the field to spend time observing operations. This opportunity presents itself as a benign version of seismic bringing all aspects to one location. In a safe and organization manner individuals are able to spend the day on the ground viewing demonstrations, interacting with contractors who do the work and have the field expertise and gaining a valuable understanding of the challenges involved in the operations themselves.
It is the type of field trip that holds interest for any type of personality. The demonstrations are quick and move along seamlessly thus ensuring to keep the participant’s attention. As we have as many as two dozen contractors involved, participants have the opportunity to see many different aspects, many different equipment types and hear from many different individuals. The flavour of the day is variety. Whether the individual’s interest is piqued by hands on learning, by visual learning or by listening to presenters, this field trip has them all.
We limit the number of participants on each day for reasons of transportation and safety. The event is generally fully subscribed so if you have interest we encourage you to register soon. Information and registration is available on our website.
Hope to see you out there.
From the Thursday Files
Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.
– Harriet Braiker
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