The American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) is one of the world's largest professional geological societies with more than 40,000 members across 129 countries as of 2021. The AAPG works to "advance the science of geology, especially as it relates to petroleum, natural gas, other subsurface fluids, and mineral resources; to promote the technology of exploring for, finding, and producing these materials in an economically and environmentally sound manner; and to advance the professional well-being of its members." The AAPG was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma; currently almost one-third of its members live outside the United States.
Nigel Allister Anstey, British geophysicist, has made major contributions to seismic exploration, which are the foundations for many of the techniques used in today's oil and gas exploration. Anstey's contributions impact every major area of seismic exploration -– from seismic acquisition to seismic processing to interpretation to research. He is the holder of over 50 multinational patents. He is best known by many geoscientists for distilling the geophysical concepts of the seismic method into non-mathematical teachings for seismic interpreters.
Fred F. Meissner was an American geologist and engineer who contributed to the fields of geology, geophysics, engineering, petroleum engineering, geochemistry, mineralogy, physics, mining, economic geology, and fishing.
The Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society (EEGS) is an international, applied scientific organization that has 700 members. One of the society’s major activities is producing its annual meeting, the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems (SAGEEP). It develops and distributes a peer-reviewed scientific journal, the Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics (JEEG), as well as an electronic quarterly newsletter, FastTIMES. It publishes, markets, and distributes books and CD-ROMs on the application and use of near-surface geophysical technologies, both in print and electronically.
Andrew S. Long is an Australian geophysicist. He has a PhD in geophysics (1996) from the University of Western Australia, and a post-doctoral term at Stanford University. He is a leader in the application of geophysical technologies to exploration for oil and gas in marine areas, and has written and presented several papers at the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG), the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE), the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists (ASEG), the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) and many other international conventions and journals.
The Conrad Schlumberger Award is an award given to one of the members of European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers. The award is given each year to one that has made an outstanding contribution over a period of time to the scientific and technical advancement of the geosciences, particularly geophysics. The award is made annually by the EAGE Board.
Two international geophysical societies offer awards each year which are named in honor of Maurice Ewing; these are the American Geophysical Union and the Society of Exploration Geophysicists.
The European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE) is a professional organization for geoscientists and engineers, established in 1951 with a worldwide membership. The association provides a platform for professionals in geophysics, petroleum exploration, geology, reservoir engineering, mining, civil engineering, digitalization and energy transition to exchange ideas and information. EAGE operates two divisions: the Oil & Gas Geoscience Division and the Near Surface Geoscience Division.
Sergo OrdzhonikidzeRussian State University for Geological Prospecting, or the Russian State University for Geological Prospecting is named after Sergo Ordzhonikidze and previously known as the Moscow Geological Prospecting Institute, is a public university based in Moscow, Russia, specialising in geology, geophysics, gemmology, ecology and other earth-science disciplines.
Robert E. Sheriff was an American geophysicist best known for writing the comprehensive geophysical reference, Encyclopedic Dictionary of Exploration Geophysics. His main research interests included the seismic detailing of reservoirs, in 3-D seismic interpretation and seismic stratigraphy, and practical applications of geophysical methods. Hua-Wei Zhou, Department Chair of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, said about Sheriff: “…a giant figure in the world of exploration geophysics… When I think about Bob, a number of key words pop up in my mind: kindness, honesty, hardworking, seeking perfection, generosity and wisdom.”
The Chamber of Geophysical Engineers of Turkey (CGET) is a nonprofit organization found in 1986 and promotes the expert and ethical practice of geophysics in the exploration and development of natural resources, in characterizing the near-surface, and in mitigating earth hazards. While most CGET members are involved in engineering problems and groundwater explorations, CGET members also are involved in application of geophysics methods to mineral and petroleum explorations, archaeological researches, seismology and other scientific activities.
Mrinal Kanti Sen, an Indian-American geophysicist is the John A. and Katherine G. Jackson Chair in Applied Seismology at the Jackson School of Geosciences of the University of Texas at Austin. He holds joint appointment with the Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) and the Department of Geological sciences (DGS). Since 2016, he has been serving as the head of the energy research division at UTIG. He has been a pioneer in the field Seismic Wave Propagation and Inverse Theory applied to Geophysical Problems. He has published more than 180 papers, and two books, and supervised over 50 graduate students. As an author, he is widely held in libraries worldwide. He was recognized by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists in 2015 for pioneering development and application of global optimization methods in geophysical inversion.
Robbie Rice Gries is an American petroleum geologist who was the first female president (2001–02) of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), president of the Geological Society of America (2018–19), and founder of Priority Oil & Gas LLC. Gries is noted to have made some influential progress for women in this field. In 2017, Gries published the book titled Anomalies—Pioneering Women in Petroleum Geology: 1917-2017. Gries is recognized as an unconventional thinker when approaching geological concepts and applications.
Estella Atekwana is a geophysicist studying biogeophysics and tectonophysics. She is currently Dean of the College of Letters and Science at University of California, Davis. She previously served as Dean of the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment at the University of Delaware. She is also an adjunct professor at both the University of Waterloo and the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Before joining the University of Delaware in 2017, she was the Department Head of the Boone Pickens School of Geology at Oklahoma State University. She is a Regents Distinguished Professor and a Clyde Wheeler Sun Endowed Chair at Oklahoma State University, where she maintains an adjunct appointment. Atekwana has also been a faculty member at Missouri University of Science & Technology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and Western Michigan University.
Hendratta Ali is a geoscientist who does work in hydrology, aqueous geochemistry, exploration geology and equity geoscience. Her home institution is the Department of Geosciences at Fort Hays State University. She was awarded the 2021 Geological Society of America Randolph Bromery award and Fort Hays State University President’s Distinguished Scholar Award. Ali is a native of Cameroon.
Sherilyn Williams-Stroud has been active in the field of geology for over three decades, where she has been recognized as one of the most important women in the field. In terms of representation in STEM, the field of geosciences is of the least diverse, and throughout her career she has been paving the way for women, ethnic minorities, members of the LGBTQ community as well as other communities to nullify that underrepresentation. Williams-Stroud attended Oberlin College where she studied geology and graduated in 1981. She earned both her master's degree in geology (1984) as well as her PhD in structural geology (1988) from Johns Hopkins University. Although her work is dedicated to sedimentology, geophysics and geochemistry, she does have particular areas of expertise in fracture modelling, stress and strain analysis, rock fracture mechanics with applications to oil and gas production and exploration, geothermal energy, evaporite sedimentology, geochemistry and other resources. After a long career in developing knowledge of such diverse topics in geoscience, Williams-Stroud created her own company Confructus, Inc. It is here that she consults clients within the field of oil and gas on various topics such as assessments regarding any geological risk towards projects. Williams-Stroud is an active member of several professional organizations as well as a leading activist of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Geological engineering is a discipline of engineering concerned with the application of geological science and engineering principles to fields, such as civil engineering, mining, environmental engineering, and forestry, among others. The work of geological engineers often directs or supports the work of other engineering disciplines such as assessing the suitability of locations for civil engineering, environmental engineering, mining operations, and oil and gas projects by conducting geological, geoenvironmental, geophysical, and geotechnical studies. They are involved with impact studies for facilities and operations that affect surface and subsurface environments. The engineering design input and other recommendations made by geological engineers on these projects will often have a large impact on construction and operations. Geological engineers plan, design, and implement geotechnical, geological, geophysical, hydrogeological, and environmental data acquisition. This ranges from manual ground-based methods to deep drilling, to geochemical sampling, to advanced geophysical techniques and satellite surveying. Geological engineers are also concerned with the analysis of past and future ground behaviour, mapping at all scales, and ground characterization programs for specific engineering requirements. These analyses lead geological engineers to make recommendations and prepare reports which could have major effects on the foundations of construction, mining, and civil engineering projects. Some examples of projects include rock excavation, building foundation consolidation, pressure grouting, hydraulic channel erosion control, slope and fill stabilization, landslide risk assessment, groundwater monitoring, and assessment and remediation of contamination. In addition, geological engineers are included on design teams that develop solutions to surface hazards, groundwater remediation, underground and surface excavation projects, and resource management. Like mining engineers, geological engineers also conduct resource exploration campaigns, mine evaluation and feasibility assessments, and contribute to the ongoing efficiency, sustainability, and safety of active mining projects
Bahal Raja Tua Tambunan is an Indonesian geologist who served as a senior member for the AAPG. In 2001, he collaborated with professors from Harvard University and NASA on a featured journal about geothermal reservoir characterization. He is currently employed to Eni S.p.A, an Italian multinational oil and gas company with operations in 43 countries.
