Geoscience career students, listen up!
If you have real, practical questions about your future in the petroleum industry, such as:
- Are computers really useful in mapping?
- How difficult is it to communicate with an engineer?
- Can I really work a field in Colorado (or China) if I live in Texas?
- Will I make money in this business?
Well, the geologists who are part of the AAPG Visiting Geoscientist Program (VGP) have answers for you.
For more than 30 years the VGP has been sending qualified, professional geologists to colleges and universities around the world to speak about the future of petroleum geology -- and the speakers are ready for another year in helping geoscience students prepare themselves for their next steps after graduation.
The program gives students a chance to meet practicing geoscientists and to discuss geoscience career options.
During the 2005-06 season Visiting Geoscientists made a total of 67 visits (19 in the United States; 48 in the international arena) to colleges and universities. And since then, several new speakers have been added to the program.
Last year was an important year for the program, as VGP committee chair Chuck Caughey actively tried to improve the program’s visibility. His goals:
- Utilize alumni and AAPG Student Chapters to increase contacts on campus.
- Involve AAPG affiliated societies and international Regions to generate opportunities for VGP visits to universities in their areas.
- Increase VGP visits by adding Active members to the volunteer list.
- Broaden VGP visits to include major U.S. and international universities that may have been missed in previous visits.
- Coordinate with the Student Chapter, Student Expo, Student Focus and Grants-in-Aid committees to improve the effectiveness of AAPG student programs.
“There is no better way to present the advantages of AAPG to students than learning from the experiences of a fully professional AAPG member,” Caughey said.
“VGP introduces the ‘real world’ of geoscience careers,” he said.
At press time, 85 speakers were available to visit colleges and universities for the upcoming school year.
The key to making this program successful, of course, is to get the VGP speakers into the schools. “Students and universities need to go online to request a VG,” said Mike Mlynek, AAPG student affairs coordinator.
So students, what are you waiting for?
It’s easy to request a speaker. When making your speaker selection, be sure to check the speaker’s travel restrictions.
For those interested in becoming a VG, contact Mike Mlynek .
Visit the VGP site for general information on the VGP.