Through the Eyes of a Student

Last month, myself and sixteen other student peers from the UofC attended the SEG convention held in Las Vegas and I would like to take the opportunity to give you a student’s view of the event. Before I discuss the convention itself, it must be noted that all of the attending students received sponsorship either fully or partially. Without the generosity of these companies and organizations, very few students would have had the opportunity to attend such a prestigious event. I’m sure you all know how thin a student budget can be so I know I speak for all of the students when I say” Thank you”. Accolades should also be given to the student committee who took it upon themselves to organize the trip and line up all of the sponsors.

The day my group and I landed we all got settled and immediately headed to the convention floor. Once I entered, my eyes lit up. The sheer magnitude of the space fired up my excitement and I was eager to mingle and check out some of the new technologies which were on display. One booth that really caught my eye was the Microseismic display. They had a mobile unit on display which could process microseismic data for real time use right in the field and offering a visual representation for immediate interpretation and you can do all of these wonderful things while sipping on a cappuccino! Man I love living in these technological times! After being given a thorough run down on the capabilities of this technology I was immediately thinking about how it would apply to my current project at TAQA. Not only was the technology interesting, but the fact that the representatives really took the time to teach regardless of the fact that I’m a student.

After the icebreaker ended a fellow student and I set our sights on the endless networking opportunities that were in front of us. I thought about how this was an international convention and my eagerness and excitement grew. Some gracious companies invited myself and others to attend a few of the many parties that were being held throughout the week. These parties are a goldmine for the eager networking student, not to mention being a ton of fun! I feel compelled to mention one event specifically, held by a company named Kayalyst. Myself and a few other students heard about the event and thought it would be beneficial to attend and I must say that we were welcomed with open arms. I had a chance to interact with the president of the company and he taught me about their services as well as swapping some field stories making the experience very memorable.

While these are only a few snippets of the entire convention, you should know that there were many excellent opportunities for students to learn and interact with the professionals. These events give the aspiring geophysicist a look at the cutting edge technologies of the day which is something that an undergraduate may not see in the classroom. The social events allow for a more relaxed interaction with the industry which breaks down the barriers that some of us students have in regards to networking. So I implore you, my loyal reader, get involved with the students. We are eager to learn and can always use the guidance of an experienced individual.