An historic book is being reopened,
and the next chapter in AAPG’s
ongoing efforts to recognize, offer
and promote geoscience excellence around
the world is about to be written.
Six diverse and internationally acclaimed
geoscientists have been announced for
the 2021-22 AAPG-AAPG Foundation
Distinguished Lecture season – speaking
on a spectacular range of subjects that
vary from understanding integrated
hydrocarbon systems to utilizing machine
learning to recognizing the importance of
choices in today’s energy transition.
DL speakers are carefully selected by
the AAPG Distinguished Lecture Committee
based on the relevancy of their topics and
individual excellence in their respective
fields. The program is managed by AAPG
and funded by the AAPG Foundation.
“Part of the Foundation’s mission is to
make sure that the newest, most advanced
geoscience concepts have the chance
to be experienced around the world, and
the DL program has become our flagship
for making that possible,” said AAPG
Foundation Chair Jim Gibbs. “Thanks to the
generous contributions and support of this
program by our donors, the Foundation is
proud to do all we can to throw a spotlight
on these superb speakers and their
important talks.”
Actual face-to-face touring remains
unresolved due to the ongoing restrictions
caused by global COVID-19 trends; DL
Committee co-chairs Marsha French
and Julia Wellner said their committee is
hopeful that some visits will be arranged
this year, even if only on a spot basis as
conditions and speakers’ schedules and
availability allow.
But all speakers once again will be
available free of charge – at any time, to
anyone, anywhere on Earth – via videos
and complementary podcasts that will
be available on the AAPG website for
downloading or streaming.
This year’s DL slate includes:
- Maria Angela Capello, senior partner
of Red Tree Consulting, and currently
consulting for Latin America and U.S.
companies involved in sustainability
strategies. She also is co-chair of the
United Nations UNECE Committee for
Women in Resource Management, and
industry ambassador for the University
of Houston’s Consortium AIM-DEEP. Her
books include “Mentoring and Sponsoring
– Keys to Success” and “Learned in the
Trenches: Insights into Leadership and
Resilience.” Her lecture is titled “Coupling
Geoethics to Sustainability.”
- Denise Cox, president of Storm Energy
Ltd., where she focuses on technology for
sustainable energy development. She also
is a past president of AAPG. Her lecture is
titled “Sustainable Development and the
Energy Transition: The Lifecycle Cost-Benefit
of Energy Choices.”
- Dave Dewhurst, chief research
scientist at Commonwealth Scientific and
Industrial Research Organization leading
the Geomechanics and Multiphysics Group
as well as the CSIRO Geomechanics and
Geophysics Laboratory. His lecture is titled,
“Impact of Diagenesis on Rock Properties
in Shales.”
- Rebecca J. Dorsey, professor of Earth
sciences at the University of Oregon, whose
current projects also include deciphering
the origins and early evolution of the lower
Colorado River; basin development in the
active arc-continent collision of Taiwan; and
geogenomics study of Earth-life evolution
in central Baja California, Mexico. Her
lecture is titled, “Stratigraphic Record of
Late Cenozoic Basin Development Along
the Pacific – North America Plate Boundary
in the Gulf of California and Salton Trough.”
- Kurt Marfurt, award-winning research
professor of geophysics at the University
of Oklahoma and a frequent contributor to
the AAPG EXPLORER’s popular Geophysical
Corner. Marfurt is this season’s AAPGSEG
Distinguished Lecturer, and his talk is
titled “Common Pitfalls and Limitations in
Seismic Attribute Analysis.”
- Laura J. Pyrak-Nolte, distinguished
professor of physics and astronomy in the
College of Science at Purdue University.
Her interests include applied geophysics,
experimental and theoretical seismic wave
propagation, laboratory rock mechanics
and fluid flow through Earth materials.
Her lecture is titled “Illuminating Fractures:
Geophysics and Machine Learning.”
Impacts – Bad and Good
The DL program, which had started
incorporating web-based and virtual
technology in 2019 to complement the
traditional live touring format, found itself
in a unique position as COVID-19 began to
impact the world in early 2020: face-to-face
lectures were impossible, but the program
itself was effectively positioned to continue
without missing a beat, thanks to the virtual
capabilities.
That potential included both recorded lectures but also, thanks to Zoom
technology, live, interactive lectures to
groups around the world.
Also, the DL Committee opted to utilize
the 10 speakers who were already recorded
and available for live Q&As throughout
2020-21. As a result, during the pandemic
the DL program reached more people in
more places than ever before in its history
– more than 22,000 views, according to
AAPG web data.
(That number does not include statistics
for the Digging Deeper podcasts, which are
available on several platforms.)
Also as a result, the six speakers
selected for 2021-22 will be the first new
lecturers named in nearly two years.
Each lecturer will give a full-length
presentation on video and also will sit down
for an extended podcast called “Digging
Deeper,” an interview series that takes a
more personal approach to the lecturer.
(They always have very interesting stories
to tell about their lives and careers.)
The DL Committee and AAPG staff
are hoping for an October release of
this season’s material, pending speaker
availability and pandemic factors. Please
continue to watch your inbox and social
media for updated details about DL videos
and podcast releases.
For questions or more information
about the DL program, go to the AAPG
website or contact program coordinator
Heather Hodges at .
To be part of the AAPG Foundation’s
ongoing support of advancing geoscience
excellence around the world, contact , or visit the AAPG
Foundation website at foundation.aapg.org.