Seismic Soundoff

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with John Etgen, Virgil Kauffman Gold Medal winner and upcoming Distinguished Lecturer for the third and fourth quarter of 2019. John and Andrew have an engaging and multi-faceted conversation on the current capabilities of depth imaging, the limitations of full-waveform inversion, his upcoming DL tour, how his time at Stanford and the Amoco Production Research Company impacted his career, and more. This episode proudly sponsored by ION Geophysical.

Interviewee biography

John Etgen received a Bachelor of Science degree in geophysical engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and a Ph.D. in geophysics from Stanford University. During his studies, he had the good fortune to work on a wide variety of topics in seismic imaging and data processing while learning from his mentors, Jon Claerbout and Norm Bleistein, along with many talented colleagues and fellow students. He began his industrial career at the Amoco Production Research Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In Tulsa, he had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of topics and learn from leading researchers, such as Dan Whitmore, Rusty Alford, Kurt Marfurt, Ken Kelley, Sam Gray, and many others. In 1999, Amoco merged with British Petroleum (BP) and John moved to Houston, Texas.

In 2008, he and Carl Regone were awarded the Virgil Kauffman Gold Medal for their work in wide-azimuth marine seismic. In late 2011, John was appointed distinguished advisor for seismic imaging at BP. John currently serves as assistant editor for GEOPHYSICS and continues to work in the upstream technology organization at BP.

Sponsor

ION Geophysical is a pioneer in Full Waveform Inversion, an advanced model estimation technique that reduces exploration risk while enabling more effective development decisions. The ION suite of FWI technologies provide highly accurate models of the subsurface by utilizing the entire wave field, powering deeper and more robust model estimation across a range of acquisition configurations. Learn more about Full Waveform Inversion by typing "ION FWI" into your favorite search engine.

Credits

Interview: John Etgen

Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Special thanks to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ashley Rodriguez, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney, with additional support from Kathy Gamble.

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Google Play, or Apple Podcasts to be the first to know about new episodes!

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with John Brittan, contributor to March's The Leading Edge. March's special section returns to a common and major topic for TLE - full-waveform inversion. John highlights the advantages and disadvantages of several FWI approaches, discusses the possibilities and limitations of the technique, and explores the common themes across the seven papers. Episode 53 proudly sponsored by ION Geophysical.

Interviewee biography

John Brittan received a BSc in Physics from the University of Birmingham in 1992 and, thanks to a Shell Scholarship, a PhD from Imperial College, London in Geophysics in 1995. He then was a Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Research Fellow at Imperial, being part of the team who undertook the first seismic profile across the K-T boundary crater at Chicxulub and also being part of Imperial's pioneering efforts in full-waveform inversion. He joined Petroleum Geo-Services in 1997, where he worked on the research and development of data processing algorithms with particular interest in the fields of multiple removal, time-lapse processing, travel-time tomography and noise attenuation. John undertook a number of management roles at PGS including Head of Processing Technology and Chief Geophysicist for Data Processing and Technology. In 2013 he joined ION where he is Vice-President, Europe and Africa in the Imaging Services division. He is an active member of the PESGB, EAGE and SEG and was until recently an Associate Editor of Geophysical Prospecting.

Subscribers can read the full articles in the SEG Digital Library at https://library.seg.org/and abstracts are always free. Show notes and links at https://seg.org/podcast.

Sponsor

ION Geophysical is a pioneer in Full Waveform Inversion, an advanced model estimation technique that reduces exploration risk while enabling more effective development decisions. The ION suite of FWI technologies provide highly accurate models of the subsurface by utilizing the entire wave field, powering deeper and more robust model estimation across a range of acquisition configurations. Learn more about Full Waveform Inversion by typing "ION FWI" into your favorite search engine.

Credits

Interview: John Brittan

Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Special thanks to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ashley Rodriguez, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney, , with additional support from Kathy Gamble.

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Google Play, or Apple Podcasts to be the first to know about new episodes!

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with John Hudson and Bill Abriel on the upcoming Energy in Data Conference. The conference will take place in Austin, Texas from 17-19 June. Powered by AAPG, SEG, and SPE, this forward-looking conference will include the latest in digital transformation trends as they relate to the energy sector (topics such as machine learning and data management storage), oil & gas development and drilling, production, and more.

How can we benchmark capabilities of digital technologies? How can we uncover hidden information in old data? How can service companies and operators collaborate to bring new technology and innovation forward in solving real field problems?

This is a must-attend conference for those seeking the answers to these questions and others regarding the digital transformation. Energy in Data will be highly interactive and participative with a strong mix of general sessions, breakout sessions, micro-learning short courses, and working groups.

Register and learn more at https://energyindata.org/.

Interviewee biographies

John Hudson, SPE, is the Subsurface & Well Support & Deployment Manager (Americas) with Shell. He has more than 25 years of experience in multiphase-flow research, flow-assurance design of deepwater production systems, and development of model-based real-time operations decision systems. Since joining Shell, Hudson has held technical and managerial positions in Europe and North America, including leading a team that developed a model-based cloud computing solution that was deployed globally to gas plants with a total production capacity in excess of 10 Bcf/D. Hudson holds a PhD degree in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois.

Bill Abriel, SEG, is a geophysical consultant at Orinda Geophysical LLC. Bill began his work in the industry with Chevron in New Orleans in 1978, and was the geophysical lead for Chevron in many oil and gas basins around the world for over 37 years. His expertise lies in the application of new technology to active projects including geophysical acquisition, processing, interpretation, integration, team building, project management and strategic research. Bill served as SEG president and received an SEG life membership in 2007. He holds a B.S. in geosciences and an M.S. in geophysics, both from Pennsylvania State University, where he was a founding member of the SEG student section and earned four varsity letters in lacrosse.

Sponsor

Seismic Soundoff is sponsored by the SEG Wiki - the place to find hundreds of biographies of geoscientists, open-access tutorials, and ongoing translations of SEG's best-selling book, Robert Sheriff's Encyclopedic Dictionary. Visit the https://wiki.seg.org to explore the world’s first online, geophysics encyclopedia.

Credits

Interviews: John Hudson, Bill Abriel

Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Special thanks to Lance Cole and the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ashley Rodriguez, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Google Play, or Apple Podcasts to be the first to know about new episodes!

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Dean Mento, Senior Petroleum Geophysicist at IHRDC and dynamic educator. Dean and Andrew discuss what's exciting about being a geophysicist, the career options available, the problems geophysicists solve, and much more. If you like adventure and solving complex problems or need help explaining your work to friends and family - this episode is for you.

Show notes and links at https://seg.org/podcast/Post/6868/.

Interviewee biography

Mr. Mento is the Senior Petroleum Geophysicist at IHRDC, where he creates, manages, and updates geophysical collateral for IHRDC's IPIMS online courses. He worked at Halliburton-Landmark for 18 years prior to joining IHRDC. He has also worked for Lockheed Martin and Amoco Production Company. He holds a Bachelor's degree in physics and a MS in Geology (Emphasis Geophysics).

Sponsor

Seismic Soundoff is sponsored by the SEG Wiki - the place to find hundreds of biographies of geoscientists, open-access tutorials, and ongoing translations of SEG's best-selling book, Robert Sheriff's Encyclopedic Dictionary. Visit the https://wiki.seg.org to explore the world’s first online, geophysics encyclopedia.

Credits

Interview: Dean Mento

Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Special thanks to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ashley Rodriguez, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Google Play, or Apple Podcasts to be the first to know about new episodes!

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Scott Singleton, guest editor for February's The Leading Edge. February's special section highlights eight unconventional case studies. Scott discusses how the industry can rise to the challenge of unconventional, the link between unconventional and microseismic, and a brief history on the field.

Subscribers can read the full articles in the SEG Digital Library at https://library.seg.org/and abstracts are always free.

Show notes and links at https://seg.org/podcast/Post/6786/.

Interviewee biography

Mr. Singleton graduated from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in 1979 with a BS in Geophysics and received a MS in Geophysics from Texas A&M University. His career has spanned companies from ION Geophysical Corporation and Rock Solid Images and areas of focus such as marine acquisition and processing, AVO analysis, and rock property analysis. Since 2015, he has acted as Seismic Technology Advisor at Independence Resources Management in Houston, TX, USA.

Sponsor

Seismic Soundoff is sponsored by the SEG Wiki - the place to find hundreds of biographies of geoscientists, open-access tutorials, and ongoing translations of SEG's best-selling book, Robert Sheriff's Encyclopedic Dictionary. Visit the https://wiki.seg.org to explore the world’s first online, geophysics encyclopedia.

Credits

Interview: Scott Singleton

Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Special thanks to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ashley Rodriguez, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Google Play, or Apple Podcasts to be the first to know about new episodes!

Craig J. Beasley was the driving force behind the founding of Geoscientists Without Borders. In recognition of his contribution, the Craig J. Beasley Award for Social Contribution was established and is awarded to a person or organization that has made a meritorious achievement that supports the application of geophysics to a humanitarian, public service, or other socially significant cause.

This episode's guest, Paul Bauman, received the inaugural Craig J. Beasley Award for Social Contribution at SEG 2018. In this conversation, Paul and host Andrew Geary discuss what attracted him to the geosciences, the biggest source of inspiration in his career, and advice for students and early career professionals.

To find biographies and the full citations of all the award winners, visit the show notes at https://seg.org/podcast/Post/6707/.

Biography

Paul Bauman received a bachelor’s degree in Geological Engineering from Princeton University, and a Master’s degree from the University of Waterloo in groundwater and geophysics. He has more than 30 years experience in near surface geophysical exploration for groundwater natural resources, tunnels, unexploded bombs, industrial waste, ancient burials, and anything that someone may want to find without drilling or digging. Paul has applied creative geophysical solutions to challenging groundwater situations in remote locations over much of his career, including in Africa, Central America, Southeast Asia, and Canada. Bauman successfully completed Geoscientists Without Borders® projects in Kakuma and Uganda. This podcast highlighted his humanitarian work in episode 37 - Searching for water in Kakuma (https://seg.org/podcast/Post/6368).

Sponsor

Seismic Soundoff is sponsored by the SEG Wiki - the place to find hundreds of biographies of geoscientists, open-access tutorials, and ongoing translations of SEG's best-selling book, Robert Sheriff's Encyclopedic Dictionary. Explore the world’s first online, geophysics encyclopedia at https://wiki.seg.org.

Credits

Interview: Paul Bauman

Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary.

The SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ashley Rodriguez, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney

If you enjoy the show, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. Your reviews bring a smile to our faces. Follow Seismic Soundoff at https://seg.org/podcast to hear new episodes.

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Shauna Oppert, guest editor for January's The Leading Edge. January's special section highlights three case studies focusing on conventional systems. These case studies take place in three different regions of the world, with each challenge tackled using innovative approaches to reservoir characterization in complex geologic regions.

Shauna showcases how these papers provide insight into designing custom approaches with new technologies to address the geologic parameters challenging reservoir characterization in both new and mature oil and gas fields. Subscribers can read the full articles in the SEG Digital Library at https://library.seg.org/and abstracts are always free.

Show notes and links at https://seg.org/podcast/Post/6661/.

Interviewee biography

Shauna Oppert is a Research Geophysicist at Chevron. She works in time-lapse geophysics, including integration of rock physics and rock mechanics principles and measurements, assessment and evaluation of seismic data for 4D reservoir monitoring, and development of new tools for prediction and evaluation of 4D seismic responses. She also serves as the chair of the Technical Committee of SEAM Life of Field.

Sponsor

Seismic Soundoff is sponsored by the SEG Wiki - the place to find hundreds of biographies of geoscientists, open-access tutorials, and ongoing translations of SEG's best-selling book, Robert Sheriff's Encyclopedic Dictionary. Visit the https://wiki.seg.org to explore the world’s first online, geophysics encyclopedia.

Credits

Interview: Shauna Oppert

Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Special thanks to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ashley Rodriguez, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

If you enjoy the show, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. Your reviews bring a smile to our faces. Follow Seismic Soundoff at https://seg.org/podcast to hear new episodes.

One of the most important functions of a professional society is honoring those who have made significant contributions to the profession and to science. In this episode we highlight two of the 2018 Honors and Awards winners: Albert Tarantola and Mrinal Sen.

Albert Tarantola was awarded the 2018 Maurice Ewing Medal, the highest honor given by the SEG to a person who has made distinguished contributions both to the advancement of the science and to the profession of exploration geophysics.

In a first for the Maurice Ewing Medal, Albert Tarantola was awarded the honor posthumously. Roel Snieder speaks with host Andrew Geary on his colleague receiving this honor.

Mrinal Sen was awarded the 2018 Virgil Kauffman Gold Medal, an honor given to a person that has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the science of geophysical exploration as manifested during the previous five years.

To find biographies and the full citations of all the award winners, visit the show notes at https://seg.org/podcast/Post/6643/.

Sponsor

Seismic Soundoff is sponsored by the SEG Wiki - the place to find hundreds of biographies of geoscientists, open-access tutorials, and ongoing translations of SEG's best-selling book, Robert Sheriff's Encyclopedic Dictionary. Explore the world’s first online, geophysics encyclopedia at https://wiki.seg.org.

Credits

Interviews: Roel Snieder and Mrinal Sen

Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary.

The SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

If you enjoy the show, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. Your reviews bring a smile to our faces. Follow Seismic Soundoff at https://seg.org/podcast to hear new episodes.

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Priyank Jaiswal, Associate Professor at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Jaiswal discusses the recent SEG near-surface event, Forum on Infrastructure, and how geophysics can play a role in this critical area. Andrew and Dr. Jaiswal discuss the potential threats to infrastructure from low-level earthquakes, how citizens and public officials can monitor and address the impact, and how geophysicists can contribute to the safety of infrastructure.

Show notes and links at https://seg.org/podcast/Post/6630/.

About the Forum on Infrastructure

Resiliency of infrastructure and specifically critical lifeline infrastructure to high-level seismicity (large earthquakes) are often an integral part of design, construction, and execution. Today, however, infrastructure in many parts of the country, particularly the Central USA, face threat from low-level seismicity which, due to their recurrence pattern, appear to be impacting structures in complex ways that cannot be readily explained. Damages are real and the need to monitor infrastructure health is real. Geophysical methods can help in monitoring both above and below the ground. This forum explored symbiosis between geophysics and design and maintenance of lifelines.

Biography

Priyank Jaiswal is an Associate Professor at Oklahoma State University. His research interests include petroleum systems, gas hydrates, rock physics, near-surface, and poroelasticity. He holds a B.S. from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and M.S. and PhD degrees from Rice University.

Sponsor

Seismic Soundoff is sponsored by the SEG Wiki - the place to find hundreds of biographies of geoscientists, open-access tutorials, and ongoing translations of SEG's best-selling book, Robert Sheriff's Encyclopedic Dictionary. Visit the https://wiki.seg.orgto explore the world’s first online, geophysics encyclopedia.

Credits

Interview: Priyank Jaiswal

Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary.

The SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

Special thanks to Laurie Whitesell for organizing and contributing to this episode.

If you enjoy the show, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. Your reviews bring a smile to our faces. Follow Seismic Soundoff at https://seg.org/podcast to hear new episodes.

The Opening Session represented the official start to the 88th Annual Meeting at Anaheim, CA in October 2018. SEG President Nancy House presented the State of the Society address and introduced the keynote speaker Darryl Willis. Darryl is Vice President, Oil, Gas and Energy at Google Cloud. He spoke on "The Cost of Status Quo – Get on Board or Get Left Behind." The episode ends with a Q&A from the audience.

Show notes and links at https://seg.org/podcast/Post/6612.

Biography

Darryl Willis is Vice President Oil, Gas & Energy at Google Cloud. In this role, Darryl is responsible for driving Google Cloud’s business across the entire Energy sector. He is focused on developing products and solutions, providing deep line of business expertise to the sales teams, and building trusted relationships with key leaders and companies across the energy sector.

Prior to joining Google, Darryl was most recently President and Chief Executive Officer for BP Angola based in Luanda. He previously served as Senior Vice President and Deputy Head of Subsurface for BP. During his 25-year career in oil and gas, his technical and global management experience includes subsurface, drilling, operations, commercial, strategy, safety, ethics and compliance, public affairs, crisis management, and technology.

Sponsor

Seismic Soundoff is sponsored by the SEG Wiki - the place to find hundreds of biographies of geoscientists, open-access tutorials, and ongoing translations of SEG's best-selling book, Robert Sheriff's Encyclopedic Dictionary. Visit the https://wiki.seg.org to explore the world’s first online, geophysics encyclopedia.

Credits

Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, Theresa Reichard, and Mick Swiney. Special thanks to Rhianna Collier for setting up this recording.

If you enjoy the show, please leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. Your reviews bring a smile to our faces. Follow Seismic Soundoff at https://seg.org/podcast to hear new episodes.