As I write my column this month I realize I am experiencing a condition called “Olympic Junkie Syndrome” or “OJS.” I love to watch the Olympics and each night I am glued to the TV watching the best athletes of the world meet and compete.
The funny thing is I find myself watching anything – skeet shooting, team handball, synchronized springboard diving, beach volleyball – things I would never stop to watch if they were on TV any other time of the year.
There is just something special about the Olympics – something that makes you want to be there and be a witness to the event.
AAPG is about to start its Olympian schedule of events for the fall.
Of course, the “big event” is the AAPG International Conference and Exhibition (ICE). This year’s ICE is in Cape Town, South Africa, and it promises to be a great event (see related story, page 54).
Cape Town is an excellent venue and we have great hosts this year with the Geological Society of South Africa and our diamond sponsor, PetroSA, plus the support of the AAPG Africa Region. The city of Cape Town as well has done everything possible to support the conference.
As athletic competition drives people to meet at the Olympics, top science will bring people from all over the world to Cape Town to witness a great technical program.
Will Rogers, America’s famous cowboy philosopher, once said:
“A person only learns in two ways – one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people.”
This is a great opportunity to learn from some of world’s best scientists. We encourage you to make plans to attend AAPG’s ICE in Cape Town.
Before Cape Town, however, we have several other important meetings:
- The inaugural GEO India Conference and Exhibition is scheduled for Sept. 16-19, in Greater Noida, India, just outside of New Delhi (see story, page 42). The conference is sponsored by the Oil and Natural Gas Company of India, AAPG, the Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Society of Petroleum Geophysicists (India) and the Society of Petroleum Well Log Analysts (India).
The exhibition is developed and managed by Arabian Exhibition Management and its partner, Oversea Exhibition Services.
The conference is an incredible collaboration between professional societies and industry and is a big event in the region. Again, it promises a great technical session combined with some of the best social events anywhere.
- Following GEO India, the AAPG European Region is conducting its annual conference in Oslo, Norway, Oct, 6-7. The focus on this technical program is a look at the North Sea after 40 years of exploration and development.
In the United States there are two major Section meetings this fall – both of which you can get a taste of in this EXPLORER on pages 20 and 24 – the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies (GCAGS) in Houston and the Eastern Section meeting in Pittsburgh.
- This year’s GCAGS meeting, set Oct. 5-8, is combined with the Geological Society of America’s annual meeting.
This is going to be a very large meeting with great dynamics between academia and industry. It promises a very diverse technical program with a lot to offer to students and the young professional.
- The Eastern Section meeting in Pittsburgh, set Oct. 11-15, is also a joint meeting, with the Pittsburgh Petroleum Section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Pittsburgh is in the heart of the Appalachian shale gas play and this technical program is unique in the manner it focuses on geoscience and engineering. If you are involved in a shale gas play, then this is a meeting you should attend.
- The final AAPG associated meeting of the year is the International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Dec. 2-5 – the first collaborative effort in the Asia-Pacific Region between SPE, AAPG, SEG and EAGE.
Look for more on IPTC in future editions of the EXPLORER.
I am looking forward to another long night at the Olympics. In addition to the big events, I think tonight they may show badminton or maybe fencing. I especially like fencing, except it’s just so quick.
I guess I need to watch in slow motion.