“Geologists and geophysicists work
well together.”
That’s Stephen A. Sonnenberg
on why AAPG and the Society of Exploration
Geophysicists will be coming together
for the International Meeting for Applied
Geoscience and Energy at the Colorado
Convention Center in Denver and online,
Sept. 26 through Oct. 1.
“It makes sense to have a combined
meeting,” said Sonnenberg, who is general
co-chair of IMAGE ‘21, alluding to the
agreement earlier this year between the two
associations to hold joint conventions, and
to do so for the next five years.
This year’s inaugural hybrid event will
include nearly 200 technical presentations,
14 workshops, 10 special sessions, five field
trips, numerous networking opportunities
and a joint exhibition showcasing the latest
geoscience products and technologies will
be on hand.
And, yes – because man (and woman)
does not live by the geosciences alone –
there will be a golf outing as well.
What’s Old is New Again
Holding a conference of this scope
is a challenge in normal times, but these
are not normal times – certainly not with
COVID-19 and the delta variant being such
light sleepers. Adding to that unwelcome
dynamic is the reality of the changing face
(and locales) of the industry and industry
professionals. SEG members are in 114
countries, AAPG has 39-percent of its
members now living outside the United
States and its annual convention has
attracted attendees from 78 countries over
the past five years.
“The original AAPG ACE meeting,” said
Sonnenberg, who’s a professor and Charles
Boettcher distinguished chair of petroleum
geology at the Colorado School of Mines,
“was to be in Denver in May, but COVID and
the pandemic forced it to be moved or to be
completely virtual.”
The AAPG Executive Committee then
decided to join the SEG meeting in Denver,
which would, aside from being practical, be
prudent, especially because of the nature and
dynamic of the associations.
“The relationship between the AAPG and
SEG has in the recent past been very good,”
said Sonnenberg.
Their history together goes back eight
decades, as SEG was part of AAPG until
1937, when it spun off. The last joint meeting
was in 1955, but the two remained affiliated,
he said, and on good terms.
“There are lots of restructuring in the
petroleum industry over the past 10 to 15
years and many members were pushing for
joint meetings,” he said.
Sonnenberg, who is on the Colorado
School of Mines Foundation Board of
Governors and is the director of Mudrocks and
Tight Oil Characterization Consortium, said
there’s a reason for that.
The terms “geologist” and “geophysicist”
have morphed into the term “geoscientist”
in a lot of companies. So, a new meeting of
“applied geoscience and energy” makes sense.
The IMAGE ’21 Program
That is reflected in the courses and
presentations that will be offered.
When both meetings were originally
scheduled – and, again, they were planned
separately – each, obviously, had its own
agenda. SEG, for instance, had the keynote
address on Mars by self-described “martial
geologist” – you read that right – Kirsten
Siebach already booked and AAPG had
a keynote by Pulitzer Prize-winner Daniel
Yergin of IHS Markit in place. Both will still be
presented at IMAGE ’21, which, according to
Sonnenberg, reflects the commonality of the
two associations.
“Geoscientists are explorers and the Mars
presentation is about exploration, discovery,
and geoscience,” he said.
In fact, “Exploring Mars with Curiosity
and Perseverance” will be the opening
session. Sonnenberg, himself, the following
day, will then lead the plenary session on
“The Future of Oil and Gas.” Also on the day,
a Discovery Thinking forum: “Giant Global
Discoveries,” followed by the Halbouty
Lecture: “Super Basin Thinking: Methods to
Explore and Revitalize the World’s Greatest
Petroleum Basins.”
The goal of the conference is to position
multiple disciplines together to focus on
geoscience applications and technologies.
Additionally, conference organizers hope
to provide a comprehensive technical
program (more than 20 concurrent
sessions will be featured), all to serve
the needs of geoscientists in a rapidly
changing energy landscape. The
expectation is that a gathering of so many
Earth scientists and energy professionals
from around the world, all exchanging ideas
and experiences, will result in a synergy
of information and understanding of the
synergy across sectors.
To name just a few of the short courses
and workshops — some will be offered in
person, some online, which will allow those
unwilling, unable, or just uncomfortable
about traveling to participate, give papers,
etc. — will include discussions on sequence
stratigraphy; carbon capture storage and
utilization, integrated geologic, seismic,
geomechanics, and reservoir engineering;
machine learning; anisotropy and
microseismic; and geophysical methods and
applications for sustainable cities.
For his part, Sonnenberg believes the
conference will showcase and celebrate
something more important – the very reason
such associations (and the industry itself)
exist.
“The future for energy will be exciting and
a great place for future employment. Energy,
after all, sustains civilization.”