I saw quite a few NOGS members at the 11th Annual
Deepwater Technical Symposium at the Hilton in August.
For those who couldn't make it, you missed a great
conference. We owe a special thanks to Tom Hudson and
his team for putting it together with a $200 registration fee
making it a real bargain. My favorite talk was in the
session on well completions. Bill Franks of Shell
presented the problems encountered during a completion
at Ursa, where everything that could go wrong did go
wrong. Most case studies I have heard at various
conferences in the past showed only good results. Bill's'
talk was a great reality check, showing us how a topnotch
team handles unexpected problems.
Speaking of bargains, registration for our continuing education seminar on October 1 is only $70. The seminar is on the role of stratigraphy in Gulf of Mexico exploration, with examples and perspectives presented by leaders in the subject. Special thanks goes to Jeanne Phelps and Dick Fillon for their hard work in putting the seminar together. Jeanne has done a lot for NOGS, most recently serving as both Secretary and chair of the Continuing Education Committee. Unfortunately, Jeanne and David have moved to Houston. We really miss them both and wish them well. With the loss of some very active volunteers and committee chairs this year, there are many opportunities for NOGS members to get more involved in our work. Most of our committees need more help, and several need chairs or co-chairs. Please contact me or one of the board members if you want to help out. One of our goals for the NOGS LOG is to include more technical information, and we would like to publish short technical articles on a regular basis. Contact Tim Piwowar if you have something for the LOG. Our school outreach program is ramping up and I hope that many of our members will take part. In addition to the great fossil collection that is available (courtesy of Tom Bergeon), we now have the "Tapestry of Time and Terrain" map and pamphlet for distribution to schools. David Cope is providing rock samples to hand out to students. With earth science essentially neglected in Louisiana schools, it is up to us to stir the interest in geology for the next generation. Contact Tom Bergeon to get the materials you need. This year we will be keeping track of which schools have been visited by our members and will keep you posted on our progress. In a similar vein, NOGS is a co-sponsor of BLaST (Building Louisiana Science and Technology) and needs your help. Every year BLaST has a competition for middle school teams that involves programming robots and creating presentations on the topic of the year. This year the topic is "Energy" and we have joined with the other oil industry societies in New Orleans to provide mentoring and financial support. The competition will be on December 1, and many schools need the guidance that our members can provide. If you can help with this, give me a call. I have been a BLaST mentor for several years (this year at Haynes Academy in Metairie) and have found it to be a very rewarding experience. Mike Fein has been a champion of this program and we all owe him our thanks for recognizing and pursuing this opportunity. Another Past President who has pursued a great opportunity is Jim Seglund (1980-81). Jim now lives in Diamondhead, Mississippi. We have all seen the incredible efforts and results of the volunteers who have come to the Gulf Coast from around the country to help us rebuild after Katrina, and we all know that we must never forget what they have done for us. Jim has taken the lead in creating a monument to honor the Katrina volunteers. The Katrina Volunteers Memorial will be built next to the welcome center on I-10 at the LA-MS state line. After hearing about this project, I signed on to help, but more help is needed. If you would like to assist, please let me know. Art Johnson |