A
new center for the training and development of professional-level
geoscience skills was dedicated at Imperial College, London, England,
in February, the first international venture for AAPG-funded training
centers.
It is one of six operating centers sponsored by AAPG,
and the first to be located outside the United States.
Also in November Foundation Trustees approved $25,000
as seed money toward a new mid-career training center in Canada.
The "Canada Geoscience Technical Training Centre" will be located
at the University of Calgary as part of its department of geology
and geophysics.
The funds are aimed at creating the centers that
focus on state-of-the-art training for mid-career geoscientists,
and in some instances provides financial assistance for attendees.
AAPG has made gifts totaling $309,000 and the AAPG
Foundation has donated an additional $246,500 to fund the training
centers.
AAPG and the AAPG Foundation each provided $50,000
in seed funding for the London facility. An additional $10,000 was
donated from the Society of Exploration Geologists. The Joint Association
of Petroleum Exploration Courses has also donated £60,000.
The European Geoscience Technology Training Centre
will offer a range of training courses to geologists, geophysicists
and petroleum engineers at various points in their careers, using
the latest and most relevant tools in petroleum exploration and
development.
The Centre is a joint collaboration between Imperial
College, the Geological Society and the Petroleum Exploration Society
of Great Britain.
The Centre comprises three adjacent computer laboratories
in the Royal School of Mines building at Imperial College's South
Kensington campus. Two rooms are equipped with a total of 30 PC
workstations and a Unix-based laboratory is equipped with 6 twin-screened
workstations.
Software donations have been received from a range
of service sector companies, including major donations from Schlumberger
and Landmark Graphics.
Speaking at the opening ceremonies, AAPG President
Robbie Gries highlighted the progress that had been made in the
past by petroleum geologists who had been prepared to "Think Outside
the Box," and how necessary it will be to continue if new reserves
are to be identified and exploited.
Other
mid-career technology centers that have received funds from
both AAPG and the AAPG Foundation include:
- Houston -- North Harris College Geoscience Technology Training
Center.
- Midland -- Midland College Petroleum Geotechnology Training.
- Dallas -- Ellison Miles Geotechnology Institute, at Brookhaven
College.
- Golden, Colo. -- Colorado School of Mines.
- Bakersfield, Calif. -- Cal State University-Bakersfield.