President’s Message

You never know where a RECORDER article will take you. Any one of the articles in this issue may lead you on a winding path in which you revisit your past or take an unexpected twist into the future. You just have to follow the trail. In the September 2015 RECORDER, four former students wrote tributes to their mentor, supervisor and professor, Tad Ulrych. In ‘Tad Ulrych and me’, Scott Leaney encourages reading Ulrych, 1999, which in turn is a tribute by Tad Ulrych to Enders Robinson. So, as well as searching for JWT in Scott’s recent PhD thesis, I read ‘The Whiteness hypothesis: Reflectivity, inversion, chaos and Enders”. The style is engaging and, just when the mathematics was beyond what I wished to delve into, I encountered the section discussing the relevance of Chaos with a reference to Gleick, 1987. I instantly knew the reference. In 1990, during my first year of university I periodically treated myself to a random book – usually from the math and science section of the local bookstore. And ‘Chaos – Making a New Science’ by James Gleick has travelled with me ever since. I’ve read it several times so it isn’t surprising that during a recent move I pulled it aside and put it into a ‘must read again’ pile with a few others. So, on finishing the September RECORDER, I turned around, pulled Chaos from the pile and starting turning the dog-eared pages again.

I challenge you to read through this RECORDER and to then follow a path so that you read an additional referenced article or explore a subject outside your comfort zone. Let me know where you end up!

It is important that we have a depth of knowledge within our profession and also a breadth that allows us to consider and incorporate ideas from other disciplines. That may come from conversations with colleagues, students, friends and family that challenge our perception, reading esoteric material such as Chaos, watching TED talks, attending conference talks and networking at ‘some-what associated’ luncheons. Along those lines, the Data Manager Network recently hosted a luncheon on Seismic Brokerage Etiquette that I attended to discuss CSEG membership benefits. You are likely aware of many of the CSEG member benefits but I encourage you to look at the brochure newly developed by Member Services.

On October 18th, Marian Hanna, Paul Anderson and I represented the CSEG at the SEG 2015 Annual Council Meeting. We had three representatives on the SEG Council this year because we were able to report 548 Active SEG members within our membership. That means that we are 28 members shy of the 576-825 category that would provide us with 4 seats on Council. This count is undertaken through our database and submitted to the SEG in May each year – so sign into your account, click View My Profile, and scroll down to the check boxes for CSEG, SEG, EAGE and APEGA. Every click on SEG Active (only if you are!) takes us closer to another seat on Council. And next year, with your help, we may be back to four. At the same time, please search for yourself in the CSEG Directory in the Member Only area and, if not included, I encourage you to contact the CSEG office so that you are included. The Directory is not available to the general public – only to members.

Let’s focus on our members. Earlier this year, Andreas Cordsen was awarded the 2014 CSEG Medal – our highest honour. We have also honoured Ted Rozsa, Roy O. Lindseth, Greg Davidson, Dave Robson, Robert R. Stewart, John Boyd, Brian Russell, Don C. Lawton, Dan Hampson, Bill Goodway, George Bertram, Warner Loven, Mauricio Sacchi, Donald Chamberlain, Garry Kelman, Hugh Stanfield and Tad Ulrych with the CSEG Medal.

In the past 10 years the CSEG has recognised contributions by John Bancroft, Mike Galbraith, Perry Kotkas, Peter Cary, Peter Duncan, Gary Margrave, Don Gendzwill, Don Lawton, Satinder Chopra, Bill Nickerson, Helen Isaac, Mauricio Sacchi, Larry Mewhort, Doug Schmitt, Tooney Fink, John Logel, Annette Milbradt, Laurie Ross, Doug Bogstie, Lee Hunt, Mike Doyle, Penny Colton, Bill Goodway, Larry Lines, Tom Sneddon, Rick Green, Robert McGrory, Daniel Trad, Shawn Maxwell, Paul MacKay, Joanne Poloway, Jocelyn Frankow, and Doug Schmidt with CSEG Honorary Membership, Meritorious Service, Special Commendation and Technical Achievement Awards. A full list of CSEG awards and recipients can be found online at cseg.ca/members/awards.

The people listed are mostly likely familiar to you. They are familiar to you because of their contribution to the society, the profession and the science. Please take some time to think of other people whom you feel should also be recognised with a CSEG Award and bring forward nominations to Rob Vestrum, Past-President. The Committee on Honours and Awards makes a recommendation to the Executive prior to December 1st so act quickly if you have a worthy candidate in mind. Our members have made significant contributions to the society, the science and the industry that we should celebrate.

Lastly, let’s talk about you, personally. Who are you? CSEG member. Oil industry professional. Interpreter. Sister. Consultant. Tutor. Partner. Biker. Artist. Friend. Colleague. Leader. Daughter. Traveller. Writer. Dreamer. Where are you? Calgary. Newfoundland. Spain. New Zealand. Colombia. USA. What are you doing? Acquiring. Processing. Interpreting. Selling. Making deals. Leading. Discovering. Retired. Looking. Despairing. Rejoicing. Whoever you are, wherever you are and whatever you are doing, the CSEG needs your involvement – write an article or a paper, teach a course, volunteer at a school, edit a paper, proof read material, organise an event, discuss a RECORDER or Journal article, attend a luncheon, submit a GeoConvention abstract and encourage your colleagues to do so too. But we also need you to look after yourself, so please take some time this month to do so.