Presidential Column

Well I can finally see some hints of summer arriving – and by the time this is published we should be well into camping and golfing weather. It’s been a long drawn out winter and everyone is anxiously looking forward to nicer climes. Hopefully by the time this edition of the RECORDER roles out, winter will be a distant memory. I say “hopefully” because I live in Calgary after all, and I can remember many a May blizzard that has crept up unexpectedly and ruined thousands of bedding-out plants across the city prematurely planted before the long week-end.

2011 Convention Update

As I write this column, the 2011 CSPG CSEG CWLS Joint Annual Convention recovery 2011 is less than a week away. Most of the “heavy lifting” has been done by the various volunteers, and by the time you read this, the convention will have passed and all the work that the convention team has done over the last year will have come to fruition. Based on the information I have seen from the various reporting groups, the convention is slated to be one of our more successful conventions in all manners of the word.

The convention volunteers headed up by the Steering Committee of General Co-Chairs and their respective technical Co-Chairs Rob McGrory and Laurie Bellman (CSEG), Paul McKay and Per Kent Pedersen (CSPG) and Satyaki Ray and Simon Corti (CWLS) have worked tirelessly to bring this year’s event to fruition. I can’t possibly mention all of the organizing committees and volunteers who have committed their time and efforts to making the convention a success. Please take a look at the convention website www.geoconvention. com and scroll to the 2011 Committee Listing page to get a glimpse of the various committees involved in this year’s convention.

No doubt in my next column I will some exciting results to report on this year’s convention.

2012 Convention Operatorship

Our sister society the CSPG operated the recovery 2011 convention under an operating agreement in place between the CWLS, the CSPG and the CSEG. On behalf of the CSEG, I extend many heart-felt thanks to the CSPG Executive and particularly to the convention staff Aileen Lozie and Alyssa Middleton for a job well done.

Under the terms of this agreement, each year the non-operator elects to either assume the operatorship for the next year’s convention or to allow the existing operator to continue their mandate. A small subcommittee led by Rob Kendall (CSEG VP) recommended to the Executive that the CSEG exercise their option to assume the operatorship for the 2012 convention, a motion which was unanimously passed in our last meeting. The two societies are now working in tandem to outline the transitionary processes to make this happen.

We’re moving... just about

The CSEG is in the last phases of wrapping up our new office lease in the Roslyn building and if all goes according to plan, by the time this hits publication, construction will have commenced on our new office space. Jim and Sheryl are looking forward to moving into the new space over the summer months. Stay tuned to the next edition to get the final details on the space so you can pay a visit.

The RECORDER – the people behind the publication

Last month I said that I would introduce the people behind the RECORDER. One of the benefits of being a member of the society is that we receive a copy each month of this fine publication. The society is fortunate to have a very strong team of volunteers behind the scenes producing this important communication tool, and all too often this team is overlooked because they do such a fine job with barely a murmur.

The RECORDER is the society’s primary print-based communication tool, dating back to as early as I can remember (and that’s pre 1980s). The RECORDER serves to disseminate information about the Society’s activities, finances, membership and business in general. By combining a mixture of human interest stories and semi-technical and technical papers, the RECORDER provides our members with a monthly perspective on a variety of interesting topics, ten months of the year.

Currently the RECORDER team is headed up by Satinder Chopra as Chief Editor. Satinder has quietly led the charge since 2000, and with the help of Oliver Kuhn, has masterfully crafted the RECORDER into its current form. Oliver continues to provide assistance in editing the interviews which the RECORDER is famous for – some of the RECORDER interviews have been “borrowed” by other societies for their publications.

Along with Satinder, a dedicated group of volunteers consisting of Associate Editors and Assistant Editors provide the never-ending late night and last minute energies to bring each and every one of these publications to your desk. If it were not for these folks, including Eric Anderson, Kurt Wikel, David Close, Tara Motamedi, Rob Fergusan, David Cho, Carson Yarham and Penny Colton, the RECORDER would not be the first-rate publication that it is. Please take a moment to thank these individuals when you see them – they each deserve a pat on the back. Not many people understand how hard these people work for our Society.

On behalf of the RECORDER team, I know that they are always on the lookout for interesting articles to publish. One of the reasons that the RECORDER is successful is because our members contribute to the inventory of articles. If you have something that you think the general membership would be interested in, please contact one of the RECORDER team – their contact info is on the inside page of each RECORDER – and let them know of your idea. Become famous!

Next month – CSEG Outreach and the work that our Foundation does.