Since becoming president-elect of AAPG in July I have had the opportunity to learn a lot more about the Association and everything this great organization has to offer. I joined as a junior member during my undergraduate days in Boulder at the University of Colorado. I quickly learned the most significant aspect of AAPG is the membership: the people who have contributed and provided their expertise and insight over the past 100 years, making the organization what it is today. I met people whose names I had revered from Bulletin articles and papers and was amazed at everyone’s willingness to discuss their work with me.
As I think about where we are as a community today and what I can do to be effective and positively impact the organization, as well as the broader geoscience community, I believe engagement is the key. “Being engaged” means focusing thought and attention with intent, actively pursuing the objective for which we have chosen to engage.
It’s Never Too Late to Engage
Participation from our membership makes all the difference. I must confess that for many years I was not engaged in AAPG. I paid dues and went to meetings, but never understood how the organization works and who influences it and makes decisions. It has only been since 2020 that I have chosen to engage on a deeper level. I have learned a lot about AAPG – both the good and the not so good. But in the famous words of Don Rumsfeld, “You go to war with the army that you have.” So, I either enlist or resign myself to the outcome as a passive observer.
As the technical co-chair for IMAGE 2024, I was struck by the generous and important contributions to the technical program and the collaboration between many people across the world. The Technical Committee had more than 150 people “engaged” to give the members the IMAGE program. I was humbled to be involved with so many people willing to roll up their sleeves and plunge in. It is never a one-person event; great events rarely are. Our willingness to commit to a specific role and then deliver – t hat is engagement.
It is no secret that AAPG has struggled financially in previous years and there are both financial and organizational issues that must be addressed. There have been fractures in the organization, disagreements about the path forward. But if you want to change AAPG or feel strongly about a topic then I say,get engaged! The House of Delegates needs new faces and new delegates, committees need new ideas, technical programs need new papers and leaders. AAPG needs people to bring their views and expertise to the table to influence the path we chart going forward. Over the last four years, I have observed many of the same people working tirelessly to improve the organization because they are engaged in the process and are genuinely focused on what they believe will contribute to the well-being of the organization.
Currently, most of the membership seems content to stay on the sidelines and at the same time be unhappy with decisions and votes that have taken place (think Reimagine). You might ask, “What is the alternative?” My response will be: Engagement! Being involved does not necessarily require a lot of time, but it does require intent and, most importantly, action..
The greatest contribution the membership can provide is their engagement – this will keep us together and help us flourish as a technical community for the next 100 years. If you value AAPG or believe it needs to change, show it by volunteering: become truly engaged!