Tracing the Industry

ON THE MOVE...

Pat Barry is now working as a geophysical consultant in association with Boyd PetroSearch. He can be reached directly at 403-543-5369 or on cell at 403-828-7532.

Nobuo Kawaguchi, formerly with Apache Canada, has joined the international exploration team at Husky Energy. Nobuo can be reached at (403) 298-6489 or Nobuo.Kawaguchi@huskyenergy.ca.

MOVING ON UP...

Kelman Technologies is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Darnell to the position of Senior Vice P resident, Data Management. Steve will be located in Kelman’s Houston office and will report to Rene VanderBrand, President and CEO.

In this new position Steve will assume responsibility for all of Kelman’s data management and archiving activities. Neil Baker, who has been so instrumental in the growth of Kelman’s Canadian data management business will continue his responsibilities in Canada and will report to Steve.

Steve brings to Kelman an extensive background in data management and storage having severed most recently in an executive position with an international data management and physical storage business. His detailed knowledge of the US data management business will provide Kelman with an accelerated entry to this important growth market.

Steve may be contacted by phone at (281) 293-0537 or by email to steve.darnell@kelman.com.

MOVING ON OUT...

Al Goodfellow would like to announce his retirement from EnCana/PanCanadian at the end of 2006 after nearly 29 years in the business of Geophysical Services. He wishes to thank all of his friends and co hearts both at EnCana, Contractors and stakeholders he had the pleasure of doing business with over the years. He appreciates that it has been a great career and wishes to thank EnCana for the opportunity. Al will be taking some time off and travelling with his wife, Simonne before deciding his next endeavor.

NAME CHANGE...

Larissa Bates (Talisman Energy Inc.) was married on September 2nd, 2006, and will be changing her name to Larissa Bjornson. Her new email is: lbjornson@talismanenergy.com and her phone number remains the same at: 237-4986.

NEW DEGREES...

CREWES is pleased to announce the graduation of two of their M.Sc. students. Their theses are now available at www.crewes.org. CREWES wishes them well in their future endeavours.

Faranak Mahmoudian – Linear AVO Inversion of Multicomponent Surface Seismic and VSP Data.

Chunyan Xiao – A Comparison of Different Methods for Estimating Thomsen’s Anisotropy Parameters.

THE STORK HAS VISITED...

In the November issue of the RECORDER there were two birth announcements. There was a mix-up in the pictures, so we are running the birth announcements again. Sorry about that! CS

Marc (Pengrowth Energy Trust) and Toni Rajotte are excited about the new joy in their life. Dominic was born on Sunday September 3rd at 1:11pm. He weighed a healthy 7lbs. 13ozs. Dominic had the royal treatment at Rocky View with 4 nurses and 2 doctors in the room since the cord was wrapped around his neck twice and his heart rate went from 130 down to 50 in mere seconds.

John Rennie, of Kelman Technologies, and his wife Maya are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter Lorelei. She was born August 5th, 2006 at the Rockyview Hospital in Calgary. Lorelei is rapidly learning methods of seismic processing as she sits on Dad’s lap in front of the computer while he works from home. She is joining a family with two beagles, so we hope that her first words are Mama or Dada, not “ARWOOOO!!!”

HOW I GOT INVOLVED IN THE SEISMIC INDUSTRY...

This portion of the Tracing the Industry column is where people s h a re how they became involved in this strange industry. Geophysics and the seismic industry seem to be “accidental” professions. Not many people start out with the goal of becoming a geophysicist or working in seismic. If you would like to share your story, please let me know! CS

Rafed Kasim – Geophysical Service Inc./Precision Seismic Processing Division

I grew up in Iraq moving from city to city, from school to school, as my father was an Optometrist and was continuously transferred to new hospitals until he took a permanent job in Baghdad city where I finished high school. My real passion was in aviation and I wanted to be a pilot but my father was able to persuade me otherwise. I am now glad that he did!

I went to Baghdad University in 1976 where I studied Geophysics but did not really like it much at the time. None the less, I got my degree in 1980. Iraq and Iran started a war and I had to go to war like millions of other Iraqi soldiers. My service in the military lasted for five and a half years. I was married by then with a child. I must say that I was one of the lucky ones who did not get killed during the war as most of my classmates were killed. I was actually saved by my mother’s nationality for she was German. At the time, Iraqi laws stated that anyone who had a western mother should not serve at the front lines! Lucky me. After the five and a half years had passed, and millions of men were killed, many government institutions had a shortage of employees and professionals to run their businesses. I was one of hundreds of soldiers asked to leave the military to fill in a vacancy at the Iraqi national oil company. At that point in time I started my journey as a junior Geophysicist on one of the Iraqi seismic crews. I worked with them for more than a year as a junior field Geophysicist. I learned a lot about field acquisition then I moved to Baghdad where I started my journey as a seismic data processor. With very primitive computers and a lot of manual work I managed to build my experience.

In 1991 another war started in Iraq! While my family and I were hiding underneath the stairs, not knowing whether a missile is going to hit us or not, I vowed to myself that if we made it out of that war alive, I would pack my things and leave the country for good which I did…. In 1991 I took my family to Jordan where I worked with C.G.G and Geco Prakla as a field manager. In 1995 I left for Libya and was employed by Geco Prakla where I met Don Daub for the first time I spent 4 years with the company until I immigrated to Canada in 1999. One month after landing in Calgary I met Don Daub (who had left Libya and was already working for Integra) for lunch. Don took my resume and I was hired by Integra which later became Scott Picford. I did regular seismic data processing for 3 years then became very involved in AVO projects. Meanwhile the company was bought by Corelab, then Paradigm. I am now close to my eighth year in Calgary and have recently accepted a job offer with G.S.I, and am back to doing regular seismic data processing with my friend Don Daub who seems to be around all the time !!!…This is my story.

GIVING BACK...

Many people in our geophysical community give unselfishly of their time and resources in volunteer work outside the geophysical community. The RECORDER committee would like to give our members an opportunity to share their experiences and details of the charity that they support. CS

Do You Want to Pay Less Tax?

Q&A with Carrie Youzwishen, P.Geoph., mother of a 6 month old, and Type 1 diabetic.

What charity are you involved in?

On June 24, 2007 I will be joining other members of Team Diabetes Canada in the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil marathon. This team of runners raises money for the Canadian Diabetes Association at an individual level: each of us must raise a minimum of $6100 to participate in the race. My friend, Erin Chapotelle, also a type 1 diabetic, will walk a half marathon. Oliver, my husband, will run to support us. Erin and I must raise $12,200 minimum and we are aiming for $25,000.

How do you fundraise $25,000?

Ask me in June! Just kidding – we are asking for cash donations, and have two large events planned. We are having a silent auction in February, and a Curling Bonspiel at the end of March. Contact me at youzwishen@shaw.ca if you are interested in either event. Watch for more details in next month’s issue of the RECORDER.

What does any of this have to do with paying less tax?

You can help us by contributing to our fundraising campaign. All donations are tax deductible, and go to the Canadian Diabetes Association. Donate online at: http://www.diabetes.ca/section_donations/TeamDiabetes/Index.asp. Choose pledge a participant: my name is Carrie Youzwishen, and I’m participating in the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2007 event. Erin and I have our fundraising campaigns linked, so all money goes towards our group total.

All gifts in lieu of cash towards our silent auction will receive a tax receipt when accompanied by a receipt of their value. This includes sponsorship of venue, food, etc. Please contact me at youzwishen@shaw.ca if you have anything you can contribute.

What should we know about diabetes?

Type I diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, occurs when the pancreas stops functioning. You are dependent on insulin injections or a pump for the remainder of your life. Side effects include heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, circulation problems and nerve problems that can lead to loss of sensation, amputation and impotence.

Type II diabetes occurs when the pancreas is partially functioning, or insulin is not being used effectively. It can be controlled by diet, sometimes medication, and eventually insulin injections. The effects of Type II are the same as Type I.

Symptoms of diabetes are unusual thirst, frequent urination, weight change, extreme fatigue and blurred vision. These are not to be confused with the symptoms of Stampede week.

What does a typical day look like for you?

When I was young I remember testing for glucose in my urine with a mini-chemistry set: test tubes and all. Now I wear an insulin pump, and test my blood sugar 7 times per day. I constantly monitor, evaluate, re-evaluate, and change the programming on my pump. I adjust my insulin levels over the 24-hour day in 3-hour intervals. You can imagine how much data analysis this takes, and see how I grew up to be a geophysicist!

I also count the carbohydrates of everything I eat, and adjust insulin accordingly. I am a walking dictionary of weights, measurements, and calories. Even today, I weigh most pieces of fruit at home so that I know more accurately how many carbs are in them. When I eat out, or eat something new, I guess. Sometimes I’m right and often I’m wrong, but that’s how you learn! My husband quickly learned that it is not unusual to see me madly inhaling candy after a huge restaurant meal because I had miscalculated insulin.

How has diabetes affected you?

I have been diabetic 27 years. You can expect side effects after 20 years. When I was 18, I went blind in my left eye for 3 months. I can’t tell you how many stairs I fell down due to the loss of depth perception! Even today, you will notice I am always cautious going down steps.

Fortunately, my vision was saved with laser surgery on the back of my retina, and an operation. It took 4 months of intensive laser surgery, and 1 month of recovery from the operation. The treatment damaged most of my night vision and I have difficulty seeing low contrast colours. My colleagues quickly learned that yellow on maps is completely invisible to me. I think they’ve stopped using it, but maybe they are using it their advantage!

Has diabetes affected your family?

Very much so. Firstly, you can imagine the fear my parents must have felt when they heard their 3 year old was diabetic. I was diagnosed in 1979, when the norm was urine testing for glucose. This was also a time when it was discovered that artificial sweeteners cause cancer in laboratory rats. I still remember that any diet products were not allowed into our home for a while. My mom did a wonderful job making treats, and I have great memories of homemade Popsicles!

My parents took on a daily regimen of injections, urine tests, measuring out every bit of food I ate, and then making sure I ate it at the proper time! I can’t even imagine getting a toddler to eat exact portions for 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. This became even more of a challenge when I was a teenager, and realized I didn’t have to follow my parent’s rules. Erin (my friend and fellow runner) and I met at a diabetic teen clinic. There we learned imperative skills like what to eat at McDonalds, how alcohol effects blood sugar levels, and the extra requirements to get our learner’s permits.

What many people don’t know is the serious undertaking it is for a diabetic woman to have a family. Because an unborn child relies on your circulatory system, all blood glucose levels affect the baby. Babies of diabetic mothers are at higher risk for serious birth defects of the heart, brain and nervous system (like spina bifida).

It took me an insulin pump and 2 years of work to get control where I was confident enough to start a family. As a diabetic, I was considered a high-risk pregnancy, and had many additional doctor’s appointments and ultrasounds to keep us both healthy. Because of the circulation problems associated with diabetes, the placenta tends to fail at the end of a pregnancy. This can result in brain damage, or stillbirth. I was induced early as a preventative measure. My son, John, was born without any more than the usual excitement!

Erin has 2 boys: Bryce is 4 and Lucas is 2. Her first boy arrived a bit earlier than planned, but all went well. Lucas arrived early as well, but because the placenta had failed, the start of his life was very complicated. Finally, after 6 weeks in intensive care, he was safely home with his family.

Gestational diabetes (which develops during pregnancy) has some but not all of the same risks. Babies of both kinds of diabetic moms are at higher risk for obesity, respiratory problems, low blood sugar levels and jaundice.

Why would you fundraise and train so hard while balancing being a mom?

Erin and I have decided we might be crazy, but we also have 5 top reasons. They are:

1. We are doing this for our health. The better we eat and the more active we are, the longer we can be around for our families.
2. We want to educate people about the effects of diabetes. We try to live as normal lives as possible. Sometimes we do such a good job that those around us don’t realize that being diabetic is more than eating healthy!
3. Erin and I want to recognize the wonderful job our parents did in balancing our medical needs with the freedom to be kids. They’ve taught us to never be limited by our disease, and raised us to be the kind of citizens who take on a $25,000 fundraising project. Go mom and dad!
4. We are doing this for all mothers and babies. Gestational diabetes effects many women, and has many of the same risks to the baby. We are committed that future generations don’t have to fear for their unborn children, or deal with the lifelong effects.
5. We’re doing this for our sons. So far, our children have not inherited diabetes, but it can develop at any time. We are contributing to a cure, if not in our lifetime, then in theirs.

Do you have any final words?

Thank you so much. We will run hard for all of you!