CSEG Scholarships 2015

Every year the CSEG Scholarship Committee awards scholarships to deserving candidates in continuing education across Canada. In the 2015 scholarship year, 77 high-quality applications were received from across Canada and a total of 16 scholarships were awarded. Fifteen awards of $2,000 were made to geophysics students enrolled in university degrees and one award of $1,000 was made to a student technologist.

In order to qualify for a university student award, students must be enrolled at a Canadian university in an academic program leading to an exploration geophysics career in industry, teaching, or research. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic performance, financial need, interest in geophysics and extra-curricular activities. In 2012, the Foundation introduced a new scholarship in response to the emergence of geoscience technology programs across the country. To be eligible, students must be enrolled full-time at an accredited educational institution in Canada leading to a degree in geoscience technology (oil and gas, mining, etc.). In addition to continuing the award of technologist scholarships in 2013 and 2014, the Foundation introduced two new university entrance scholarships, aimed at high school students: one scholarship is for students who are planning on pursuing a sciencebased post-secondary education and the other is designated for the children of CSEG members. High school scholarships will next be awarded in spring 2016.

The CSEG Scholarship Committee is part of the CSEG Foundation, and is run each year by a minimum of three volunteers tasked with assessing scholarship applications. Scholarships are funded primarily through corporate and individual donations, and through interest generated by memorial trust funds. If you are interested in contributing, we are gratefully accepting donations. Please contact a member of the committee or mail funds to the CSEG office with cheques payable to the CSEG Foundation. We ask that you clearly indicate that the funds are for a CSEG scholarship. All donations are tax deductible and a charitable donation receipt will be issued.

The CSEG Scholarship Committee would like to thank all of the generous scholarship sponsors for their support in 2015. Such sponsorship contributes greatly to the education of geophysics students, and to the advancement of the field of geophysics.

High School Scholarships 2016

Up to three high school scholarship awards of $500 will be made in 2016. To be eligible, students must be high school students entering into a university program in Fall 2016. In addition, they must be entering into a science-based program, and/or be a dependent of a CSEG member.

2015 High School Scholarship Recipients

The Scholarship Committee awarded three high school scholarships in 2015, to Robyn Cameron, Grace Knowles (both sponsored by Perry and Karen Kotkas), and Lulu Lu (sponsored by an anonymous donor).

Applications open March 1; the deadline for applications is June 15. Awards will be allocated July 1 for September 2016 payment against university tuition fees.

Brian Emmerson (Repsol Oil and Gas Canada Inc., bemmerson@repsol.com) Craig Mosher (Repsol Oil and Gas Canada Inc., cmosher@repsol.com) Steven Kim (Independent, stevenkim.cseg@gmail.com.

2015 Recipients

Jennifer Adam
University of New Brunswick

Sponsored by Pulse Seismic

Jennifer is currently working towards a double major in Earth Sciences and Physics and a minor in Mathematics for her B.Sc. at the University of New Brunswick. She has spent the last few summers as a research assistant at the university, discovering subjects in geophysics that she has become interested in, and is planning on pursuing graduate studies following her undergraduate degree. In her spare time, Jennifer likes to play soccer, snowboard, read novels, try new foods and discover new music.

Sean Bettac
University of Alberta

Sponsored by Hampson-Russell

Alberta Geophysics Society and a 4th year Geophysics student. He had a work term at Cenovus as a student geophysicist where he completed a project mapping reservoir compartmentalization. For the summer of 2016 he has been offered a student position with Nexen. Sean plans on pursuing a Master’s degree beginning January 2017 at the University of Alberta. Sean’s greatest interests include studying electromagnetics and paleomagnetism. He hopes to pursue a career as an interpretation geophysicist and aspires to do international work.

Wesley Campbell
University of Waterloo

Sponsored by CSEG Foundation and John Townsley

Originally from Strathroy, Ontario, Wesley is a fourth year undergraduate student at the University of Waterloo. He is in the Geophysics Specialization within the Earth Sciences program, and will be graduating in May of 2016. This past summer, he worked as a Geoscience Student with Imperial Oil. In September of 2016, Wesley plans to begin studying towards a Master of Science degree in Geophysics. He is interested in learning about how geomechanics can be combined with passive seismic data to better characterize hydraulic fracturing or CO₂ injection processes in hydrocarbon reservoirs. Wesley looks forward to the challenges that graduate school will bring, as well as future opportunities to apply his technical skills to the sustainable development of petroleum resources.

Fernanda Carozzi
University of Alberta

Sponsored by Andreas Cordsen

Fernanda Carozzi received a B.Sc. in Geophysics from Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina in 2010. From 2011 to 2013 she worked as a seismic interpreter for PanAmerican Energy, Argentina. Between 2013 and 2015, Fernanda was a seismic interpreter with YPF, Argentina. In 2015, she joined the Signal Analysis and Imaging Group in the Department of Physics at the University of Alberta to pursue a PhD in Geophysics. Her research interests are in the areas of seismic imaging, processing and inversion. The awarded CSEG scholarship will help Fernanda focus on her coursework and research.

Craig Christensen
University of Calgary

Sponsored by CNRL

Craig was born and raised in a beekeeping family from Mallaig, Alberta. Though the sweet allure of honey was tempting, he chose advanced education instead, and is a graduate of Red Cross Nordic United World College (2010) and of the Geological Engineering program at Queen’s University (2014). His professional introduction to Geophysics was at the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute through internships in the summers of 2013 and 2014. Craig is further pursuing this interest via a thesis-based M.Sc at the University of Calgary. Supervised by Dr. Masaki Hayashi and working closely with Dr. Laurence Bentley, his research focuses on investigating groundwater flow paths at high elevations in the Rocky Mountains, trying to understand storage processes in the “water towers of the prairies”. This project relies heavily on multiple geophysical methods, including electrical resistivity, ground-penetrating radar, and seismic refraction for investigations. Following this degree, Craig intends to pursue a career in near-surface geophysics consulting or a related area. Outside of work, Craig is an avid Nordic skier, classical pianist, gardener, and language aficionado, being fluent in French, Spanish, and Norwegian, and a current student of Mandarin Chinese.

Raul Cova
University of Calgary

Sponsored by CSEG Foundation

Awarded to a University of Calgary student following the 2015 Geoconvention Alumni Draw

Raúl Cova received his B.S. Degree in Geophysics in 2004 from Simon Bolivar University in Venezuela. He then worked for PDVSA in different positions, starting in Western PDVSA as a Field Geophysicist and then as a R&D Geophysicist for PDVSA Intevep. Raúl joined CREWES in September 2012 to pursue a Ph.D. degree in Geophysics at the University of Calgary. His research interests are multicomponent seismic data processing and interpretation, interferometry and full waveform inversion. Whether in the oil and gas industry or academia, Raul aims to pursue a career in applied geophysical research.

Jeremy Gosselin
University of Victoria

Sponsored by Brian Emmerson and Repsol Oil and Gas Canada Inc.

Jeremy is currently pursuing a master’s degree in geophysics at the University of Victoria in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Canada. His research involves imaging shallow earth structure using passive techniques. His work has taken him to several locations in northern British Columbia to install seismic instruments and perform other field work. He is taking advantage of the cooperative education option at UVic and recently completed a three-month work term at a NATO maritime research establishment in Italy. He hopes to gain experience from an industry work term position before graduation. Outside of school, Jeremy spends his time cycling, playing intramural sports, or reading science fiction novels.

Nadine Igonin
University of Calgary

Sponsored by Repsol Oil and Gas Canada Inc.

Nadine Igonin is a fourth year Honours Geophysics student at the University of Calgary. She is currently working on microseismic data processing at the Colaboratory of Microseismic System Dynamics. Her interests include reading, hiking, and travelling to national parks or geologic landmarks. After completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to apply for a direct-entry PhD at the University of Calgary. Ultimately, she would like to become a professor.

Ayodeji Kuponiyi
University of Victoria

Sponsored by Arcis

Ayodeji is currently a Ph.D. candidate in geophysics at the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, British Columbia. He works closely with Scientists at the Natural Resources Canada on a variety of projects. His current research focuses on seismic imaging using ambient seismic noise tomography. He effectively integrates this method with other geophysical methods including active source seismic and potential field methods to comprehensively constrain the velocity structures of sedimentary basins. Having successfully delineated the upper crustal velocity structure of Maritime Basins in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Eastern Canada, he is currently applying the method to characterize major sedimentary basins across Canada. Results of his work have potential application to oil and gas exploration as well as global tectonics, as they answer important questions about the history, geometry and extent of the studied basins together with their tectonic origin.

Upon graduation, he hopes to work directly in or collaborate with the oil and gas industry, combining the techniques he currently uses with prevailing industry techniques to improve our understanding of sedimentary basins (especially across Canada) and their associated tectonic origin.

He enjoys traveling, reading, hiking, football and most importantly, family time. As the President of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG), University of Victoria student chapter, he spends his spare time working with other students to organize seminars and symposiums. He also volunteers as a co-secretary on the board of a Canadian non-profit refugee society.

Junxiao Li
University of Calgary

Sponsored by CGG

Junxiao is a second year Ph.D. student in geophysics. He is now studying in the CREWES project under supervision of Dr. Innanen and Dr. Lines at the University of Calgary. His academic interests are forward simulation and borehole geophysics (wave field simulation, borehole reflection extraction and RTM migration). For career aspirations, he wants to work as a borehole geophysicist studying acoustic reflection imaging logging and related applications. During his spare time, he has a variety of interests: playing tennis, squash, swimming, diving, hiking, and skiing.

Christopher Nixon
University of Alberta

Sponsored by an anonymous donor

Chris has a deep passion for puzzles, learning, and nature; these interests fit perfectly with his graduate studies in geophysics as his research takes him to remote field sites. In addition to thoroughly enjoying field work, Chris has an extensive handyman background and enjoys troubleshooting and repairing equipment. Chris is currently researching microseismic events resulting from carbon dioxide sequestration and he hopes to utilize his expertise in this field to help guide the planet to a sustainable future.

Peter Oliver
Carleton University

Sponsored by Rob Shugg Memorial Fund

Peter is a graduate student at Carleton University on schedule to complete his M.Sc. Earth Science in the fall of 2017. His academic career began in 2009 when he enrolled in the B.Sc. Physics program at Carleton University, from which he graduated in May 2014. In May 2015, Peter received a second B.Sc. from Carleton University, this time with an Honours degree in Earth Science with a geophysics concentration. His current M.Sc. research involves interferometric synthetic aperture radar to measure ground deformation for geohazard risk management. Upon completion of this program, Peter looks forward to transitioning from an academic to industrial environment and beginning his career as a geoscientist in the natural resources sector.

Sherry Rath
University of Alberta

Sponsored by Athena Resources Ltd

Sherry is the Vice President of the University of Alberta Geophysics Undergraduate Society. She will be graduating this April from the Specialization Geophysics program at the University of Alberta. In Fall 2016, Sherry will be returning to the University of Alberta for a Master’s of Science degree in Integrated Petroleum Geoscience. Sherry has a desire to continue her volunteering efforts with the CSEG and student government to sustain morale, interest and passion for geophysics among her peers and the next generation of students. Moreover, she thoroughly enjoys her contribution with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. During her spare time, she enjoys snowboarding at Lake Louise in the winter and wakeboarding on Okanagan Lake during the summer.

Nathan Rose
SAIT

Sponsored by CSEG Foundation

Geosciences have always been one of Nathan interests both in the academic world and in his spare time. Nathan enjoys taking his family out to the mountains and exploring the Rocky Mountains. Upon graduation in the spring, he hopes to obtain a full-time position in industry working as a geotech, otherwise Nathan will plan to return to school in the next fall semester to pursue an applied degree in Petroleum Engineering.

Yana Tyomkin
University of Manitoba

Sponsored by Marc Boulet and Cenovus Energy

Yana Tyomkin is completing a double Honours degree in Geophysics & Geology at the University of Manitoba. Yana’s thesis project was supported by NSERC and is focused on analyzing teleseismic data collected through the Superior Rifting EarthScope Experiment program. Upon graduation she plans to move to Alberta and gain work experience through employment in the petroleum industry.

Callum Walter
Queen’s University

Sponsored by CSEG Foundation and the CSEG Ambassador Program

Callum is completing his fourth year of undergraduate studies as a geological engineering student, specializing in geophysics at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. Throughout his time at Queen’s, Callum has acquired an innovative skillset through knowledge based geology courses, such as Advanced Terrigenous Clastic Sedimentology and Advanced Structural Geology. Furthermore, integrating this knowledge through hands-on-design based courses, such as Advanced Applied Geophysics, Geophysics Field School and Geological Engineering Design I & II, has allowed Callum to master critical thinking and design, related to applied geophysical analysis. Later this year, Callum will participate in the IBA competition for Queen’s University in Calgary, Alberta, looking to defend Queen’s title. His future academic and career aspirations include taking up a graduate research position with Dr. Alexander Braun, the head geophysicist at Queen’s University, in September 2016. After completing graduate studies he will integrate into the Canadian geophysics industry. Callum’s personal interests include hiking, canoeing, fishing, team sports and enjoying the outdoors.