An area that helped spark first the country’s and now the world’s interest in shale and unconventional plays is going to be the site of a historic AAPG gathering.
The 2013 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition will be held May 19-23 in Pittsburgh, a city that has experienced an energy renaissance thanks to the successful exploration and development of the region’s Marcellus Shale play.
This will be the first time Pittsburgh has played host for an AAPG annual event, and the first time AAPG has held its annual meeting in the eastern United States since the 1986 meeting in Atlanta.
More than 900 oral and poster presentations and displays from more than 200 exhibitors will be featured.
General chair Michael Canich said the area’s entire geological community is proud and ready to host a world-class event, which will be centered at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
“This year’s ACE is going to be unique given the renewed emphasis of the Appalachian Basin and how unconventional plays across the country are being shaped by the science and technology taking place in the eastern United States,” Canich said.
Although Pittsburgh’s historic roots and its connection to unconventionals will clearly be on display, the technical program also boasts a comprehensive look at activities, developments, science and potential from around the world.
It also offers:
- The Imperial Barrel Award ceremony, open to the general public, at 3 p.m. at the David Lawrence Convention Center – immediately preceding the opening session.
- Three special forums (“History of Petroleum Geology,” “Discovery Thinking” and “Energy Policy”).
- A special session on “Hurricane Sandy and Our Vulnerable Developed Coastlines.”
- This year’s Michel T. Halbouty Lecture, given by Jeff Ventura, president and CEO of Range Resources, who will talk about his company’s “Path to Discovery and Commercialization of the Marcellus Shale.”
The opening session itself will begin at 4 p.m., led by Canich and featuring an address from AAPG President Ted Beaumont plus the annual AAPG awards ceremony, a fast-moving, colorful tribute to the year’s top honorees.
Two author signings will be offered at the AAPG Bookstore during the AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition in Pittsburgh.
The events will be held during the ACE Icebreaker reception, from 5:30- 7:30 p.m. The AAPG Bookstore will be located in the AAPG Center in the exhibits hall.
Book signings will be offered for:
- “The Reckoning: The Triumph of Order On the Texas Outlaw Frontier,” by past AAPG president and Honorary member Peter R. Rose.
- “Bootstrap Geologist: My Life in Science,” by AAPG member Eugene Shinn, professor at the University of South Florida and at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.