News

27 June, 2019

With the summer upon us, many students will be going through their
exams or work on essays and dissertations. Good luck to you all! We hope
your experiences with the EAGE Student Fund will help you to get the best results possible.

For many of students, this is also the moment to learn about where and
when you will be able to start with post-graduate degrees. Are you starting
a MSc or PhD in September? Or continuing your course for another year?
Make sure you know how the ESF can help. Here’s three ways to prepare
yourself for your next degree with the help of the EAGE Student Fund.

1. Sort out the groundwork for a student chapter

Are you starting a course at a university without a student chapter? The
summer is a great moment to set out the preparations for this. With many
universities offering orientation programmes at the start of the course, you
will have a chance to get like-minded peers involved.

Interested to get started? Find a faculty advisor at your (new) university,
read up on the procedure to get started and drop us an email at
info@eagestudentfund.org.

2. Read up on conference opportunities

What better way to inform people about your research than a presentation
at an international workshop of conference? Make sure you read up were
you have the best fit to present your research. Maybe EGU would be perfect
for you, maybe an SEG or EAGE conference. Many associations offer
support for students to present their research. The ESF may be able to
provide support for your conference attendance of EAGE meetings. Make
sure you familiarise yourself with the options available to you!

3. Participate in the 2020 Laurie Dake challenge

Becoming one of the finalists (and maybe even winning!) the Lauri Dake
challenge is certainly a great way to wrap up your studies! The challenge
takes a lot of work (after all, it is supposed to be a challenge!) but gives you
tons of experience working in multidisciplinary teams on real datasets.
Enrolment for the next Laurie Dake challenge will launch early in the
academic year. Make sure to keep an eye out for this via the
EAGEstudentfund.org website, the EAGE Students Facebook updates and
EAGE.org.

20 June, 2019

Compared to previous editions of the student activities, some changes were
introduced to help students connect to the wider geoscience community.
The integration of the Student Technical Programme into the regular
programme allowed students to present their work on a wide platform,
encouraging questions from professionals and other students alike.

At the conference, we welcomed student delegates from 125+ institutions to
the conference and to participate in the ESF supported activities. Not only
promoted this international cooperation, but also showed student
excellence comes from all the corners of the globe. This is also reflected in
the winners of our student competitions with top performing teams coming
from Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and North America.

Geo-Quiz

The global Geo-Quiz took place on Wednesday 5 June, with all of the slots
filled well in advance. In teams of three, students answered questions from
quiz masters Mahmoud Abdulbaqi and Iain Stewart to determine the fastest
and most knowledgable. When the dust settled, the team from AGH Cracow
came in first place. The teams from the Freie Universität Berlin and
University of Leeds came in at second and third place respectively.

Laurie Dake Challenge

Before the start of the conference, some students already a big challenge on
their hands. Following earlier rounds, the final presentation of the 2019
Laurie Dake Challenge took place on Monday 3 June. Using a dataset
supported by BP, the final candidates had a chance to present their work
before the dedicated jury.

Submissions this year were strong, but after careful consideration of the
work, research and presentations provided IFP School claimed first place!
The team representing the University of Stavanger came in second place.
Finally the shared third place was between Instituto Mexicano del
Petroleo and Dalhousie University

Best student chapter awards engagement

At the ESF, we value sustained engagement with our students. After all,
gaining relevant skills to become the geoscience expert of tomorrow is not
something done in a day or single conference. Student Chapter activities
and engagement play an important role to fill this gap. Over the years, we
have seen the creation and development of many exciting EAGE Student
Chapters.

Strong engagement deserves to be recognised. For this reason we created
the Best Student Chapter Award. This year, we were proud to present this
award to the AGH Cracow Student Chapter for their ongoing work. We also
want to congratulate the Universidad Industrial de Santander and the
Universiti Teknologi Petronas for securing second and third place
respectively.

Thank you for your commitment to the ESF and we hope to see
your chapters active in the years to come!

13 June, 2019

As part of our ESF@10 interview series we are keen to talk to a variety of
people on their interaction with the fund. Today, we talk to Ming Yi Wong,
Senior Reservoir Geophysicists at Equinor ASA in Norway.

After first being involved with EAGE as a student member she is currently
committee member in the EAGE Young Professionals Special Interest Group.
Her role within Equinor, combined with her long term involvement with
the Fund and EAGE made us curious to learn more about her experiences.

Hi Ming, thanks for joining us for this interview. Could you start by
telling us how you have been involved with the EAGE Student Fund
before?
Thanks for including me and happy to help! I have greatly benefitted from
the EAGE Student Fund during my studies. I studied at Heriot Watt
University in Edinburgh and became involved in our Student Chapter her.
My first experience of a conference was also made possible through the
ESF. My team participated in the regional Geo-Quiz and qualified to attend
the EAGE conference in 2013. This was my first EAGE conference and I was
hooked then and there!

Why is the ESF mission still important today?
We are still noticing the effects of the earlier downturn in the industry. The
work of the ESF is extremely important as it allows students for further
skills development and exposure outside of the traditional academic
environment.

This situation also provides opportunities. It is important for the ESF to
continue to carry on its current mission and in the meantime propose
innovative projects to enhance the educational experience in line with the
needs of employers. The energy landscape is changing, and so are the skills
expected from students and young professionals. Five years ago, I had not
heard of hackathons or how machine learning would impact our work.

Thanks for these insights! Looking at the current range of activities on 
offer, which ones should current students definitely participate in? 
So, apart from making sure you are up to speed with new knowledge from
attending conferences, Student Lecture Tours are a great way to gain new
insights. Working on real data in the Laurie Dake challenge is also an
excellent opportunity to get involved in. Most importantly, it help
individuals to see the importance of these charities, philanthropy and
giving back.

Looking back at your involvement with the fund, which activity or
project do you have the best memories of?
I have very fond memories of my first EAGE Conference & Exhibition,
which was made possible through the support of the EAGE Student Fund.
The Geo-Quiz in particular was a highlight. Two teams from Heriot Watt
signed up and one of us ended up being the champion! Being involved in
the local EAGE Student Chapter has also fostered many friendships.

To wrap things up, why to you think people of organisation should 
contribute to the EAGE Student Fund today?
The EAGE Student Fund has helped many students to broaden their
professionalism and without it, it will be quite impossible for students of
similar interest to connect amongst different student chapters and
countries. The ESF plays a key role in connecting the dots, not only between
students internationally, but also between industry and academia!

30 May 2019

Welcome to London! The 81st EAGE Conference and Exhibition is about to
start. This year, we will be able to welcome hundreds of aspiring
geoscientists and engineers to the conference to participate in a range of
ESF supported activities taking place.

The activities are not only meant to inspire students, but also the wider
community. If you are interested in supporting the student fund during
your conference in London, you can do so in a number of ways.

Donate your voucher

When registering for the conference, delegates have a chance to pick either
a public transportation card or a discount & donation voucher. When
opting for the voucher, you will have the option to donate this at the EAGE
Community hub. All you need to do is visit the EAGE Community Hub and
donate your voucher in the appropriate box, and we will make the donation
for you. Thank you for your support!

Learn how your company can become a supporter

Corporate support for the EAGE Student Fund is one of our main pillars and
through their donation we are able to make a large difference to the scale
and scope of our student activities worldwide.

If you would be keen to learn more about becoming a corporate support of

the ESF, please stop by at the EAGE Community Hub or contact us via email.
We are looking forward to be hearing from you!

Volunteer as a student lecturer

A Student Lecture Tour is a series of lectures taking place at EAGE student
chapters by an instructor on a dedicated topic. Tours usually focus on a
series of universities in the same country or region. The tour is therefore a
cooperation between universities, student chapters, instructors and the ESF.

Volunteering as a student lecturer is therefore an exciting opportunity to
visit universities and pass on your expertise to a new generation of engaged
students worldwide.

Recent student lecturers:

• Have a proven track record in academia and / or industry;
• Possess a clear geoscientific expertise; and,
• Have previous experience in teaching or lecturing.

If you would be interested in becoming a student lecturer, we would be
keen hearing from you at the Community Hub!

Become a student chapter advisor

Many student chapters grew out of groups of active students or people
working in academia attending the EAGE Conference & Exhibition. Each
student chapter has a faculty advisor, who supports the students in
their student chapter activities, advises them on upcoming meetings and
provides continuity throughout the years. Student Chapter faculty advisors
are key to securing the long-term involvement of student chapters.

If you are:

• working at a university as post-doc or beyond;
• EAGE member; and,
• interested to support a student chapter;

Make sure you speak to our ESF representatives at the show and learn
about the ESF support for student chapters.

Open declaration to volunteer

If you would like to become involved with the EAGE Student Fund but do
not fit with the profiles were are currently looking for we also encourage
open declarations of interest to volunteer.

Based on your interests and expertise, we will try to fit your request within
the wider ESF mission.

23 May 2019

Only ten days to go until the start of the EAGE Annual Conference &
Exhibition. The event is home to a wide range of activities, presentations
and events for the participants of the conference. For the ESF, the
conference is one of the prime opportunities to bring the global student
community together and to promote academic excellence amongst them.

Interested to get learn more about the ESF in London? Here is five ways to
get engaged with the fund.

Meet the EAGE Student Fund representatives!

Members of our Student Fund Board and the EAGE Student Affairs
Committee will be present to answer questions after the EAGE Annual
General Meeting for Members. If you are an EGE member keen to learn
more about contributing to the ESF activities, this is the moment to find us!

Laurie Dake Challenge – finals

On Sunday the final round of the Laurie Dake Challenge will take place.
Students from our six final teams will present their motivations behind the
proposed solution to the jury. The final winning team will be announced
during the Opening Ceremony of the EAGE Conference & Exhibition on
Monday afternoon.

EAGE Global Geo-Quiz

The Geo-Quiz is a crowd puller. The idea is simple: get a group of a
maximum of three and answer as many correctly as quickly as possible.
The global student Geo-Quiz has not only conference attendees present but
also winners of earlier regional Geo-Quizes, all striving to become the most
knowledgeable student team of the year.

Motivational speeches

This year, the ESF is happy to announce to engaging motivational speakers
from the United Kingdom. On Tuesday, we welcome Dr. Suzie Imber,
planetary scienstist and winner of the BBC programme
Astronauts: do you have what it takes? from the University of Leicester.

On Wednesday, Prof. Dr. Iain Stewart (University of Plymouth, documentary
presenter and member of the UNESCO International Geoscience
Programme) will join us. Both speakers will deliver an engaging talk on
how students can make the best out of their time at university and become
experts in their discipline.

Student Chapter meeting

During the Student Chapter meeting, the ESF facilitates networking and
learning opportunities between the Student Chapter representatives
present at the Annual where they can share best practices, ideas on
activities and expand their network to like-minded students. The get-
together will take place on Thursday morning and will bring together
students from 20 universities from across the globe.

Learn more during the EAGE Annual Conference & Exhibition

Are you attending the EAGE Annual Conference & Exhibition and keen to
learn more about contributing to the fund? Please stop by at the EAGE
community hub for more information. We are keen to be hearing from you!

16 May, 2019

The 81st EAGE Annual Conference and Exhibition will take place in a couple
of weeks in London, UK. At the event, a number of flagship ESF activities
will take place, including the global Geo-Quiz, student career advice
activities and networking and the Laurie Dake Challenge.

Central to the ESF mission is to facilitate students to participate in these
activities and to provide students with a platform to present their work to
an international audience. To facilitate this, the ESF provides a number of
travel grants to excelling students to participate in the EAGE Annual
Conference & Exhibition.

Grant recipients to reflect global excellence

Student recipients of ESF travel grants were able to do so based on the
quality of their technical programme contribution, as winners of our Geo-
Quiz programme or as finalists in the Laurie Dake challenge.

Through these various means, the ESF has been able to support students
from 21 different countries with support to join the international meeting.
With students coming as far as Brazil, Canada and Australia, the student
involvement reflects both diversity as well as academic excellence.

Stage set for student community at the EAGE Annual

In total, students for 42 countries are expected to participate in the ESF
activities during the 81st EAGE Annual Conference & Exhibition. The wide
international attendance is combined with a strong presence from the
United Kingdom as well, giving the event both international flair whilst
allowing for a local scientific touch as well!

9 May, 2019

In order to keep the work of the EAGE Student Fund ongoing, the fund
relies on various types of support. This ranges from volunteers donating
their time to organisations and individuals supporting the mission of the
ESF financially. With their help and donations, we can bring activities,
new skills and knowledge, and networking possibilities to the next
generation of geoscientists.

We want to show the people who make our work possible since the
inception of the fund ten years ago. Amongst these supporters are Elena
Mustafina and Joseph (Joe) Putcuyps, veterans of the international oil
industry with over 65 years of experience shared between them. In 2017
they established the Putcuyps-Mustafina Legacy Fund to strengthen the
work of the EAGE Student Fund.

It has been several years after your initial involvement with the EAGE
Student Fund. What were the main reasons for you being attracted to
the ESF in the first place?

We chose the ESF out of a number of other possible legacy funds because of
its focuses on the industry and field in which we both worked. We liked the
discipline and frugality in its actions. The ESF is at the centre of the ‘big
crew change’. Attracting new talent with the right skill set is more
difficult than ever. The sector does not have the same appeal it held years
ago and the downturn in recent years has led to many young people
choosing different career paths.

The EAGE Student Fund supports activities globally. 
How does this tie in with these observations?

The lower number of students coming from Western Europe and the U.S. is
somewhat compensated in other countries globally where governments
have a more positive attitude.

The continuing internationalisation of the geoscience and engineering
disciplines creates perhaps the best opportunity for the ESF to make a
difference. By bringing student lecture tours and competitions to locations
around the world the ESF helps propagating cutting edge knowledge to all
who wish to learn. Through its work, the fund instills students around the
world with an international perspective, disconnected from politics.

The ESF has a multidisciplinary scope beyond the geophysical industry. 

A wider approach is important. For instance, our careers mostly focused on
the oil industry so we know how important environmental concerns are.
These need to be addressed and evaluated. Overall the geophysical industry
has been alert and sensitive to environmental issues. After all, people from
our industry work in the field, close to nature. This element comes back in
the work of the EAGE Student Fund.

The support the fund gives students to attend conferences and workshops
also exposes them to industry ideas (some good, some less so!) and help
them to think about where they want to take their career next and make a
difference as a geoscientist.

To conclude, what kind of advice would you have to others thinking
about contributing?

With the ESF being global in its scope and activities, we encourage people
and organisations around the world to contribute to the ESF. This will
make a difference to the survival of the geoscience and engineering sub-
sector of the energy industries and will help research and improve access to
energy worldwide. Geoscience will continue to play an important role in
global development and the fund helps to make this possible.

Supporting the fund

Are you keen to learn more about the Putcuyps-Mustafina Fund,
establishing or contributing to a legacy fund or interested in
supporting the mission of the EAGE Student Fund in a different way,
learn more today on the website or contact us.

The Aberdeen University Student Chapter is one of the most recent
chapters established with the support of the ESF. Active from the get-go, we
would be happy to share the first report on the varied activities of the
chapter!

This spring, members of the Aberdeen University Student Chapter visited
Spireslack Surface Coal Mine located in Glenbuck, East Ayrshire, Scotland.
The mine exposures offer a perfect opportunity to observe geological
structures common within the subsurface. The trip was organized
together with AAPG Student Chapter, with many thanks to our field trip
leaders Graham Leslie and Mike Browne (BGS).

The student chapter in Aberdeen was formed just a year ago by Carlos
Colombo, a Geophysics Master student. The reelection of a new committee
was carried out on October last year.
The new committee predominantly consists of Petroleum Geoscience
students. However, the student chapter includes also geophysics and
reservoir engineers students. Therefore, the chapter is multi-disciplinary.

EAGE Student Chapter has organized a number of social and educational
events such as visiting the Aberdeen Maritime Museum to learn the history
of Aberdeen’s oil industry.

Members firstly participated in the Laurie Dake Challenge and Online Quiz.
They also attend the Aberdeen local chapter events regularly. The Aberdeen
University Student Chapter would like to thank our Faculty Advisor, Dr.
David G. Cornwell and Paul Mitchell, local Chapter President, for all their
continued support in establishing, renewing and helping maintain good
communication regarding upcoming events and topics. We look forward to
excruciating similar future events to enhance student learning experience
and engagement within the industry.

25 April, 2019

The EAGE Student Fund celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. During
this decade, many people have been involved with the activities of the fund
– either as volunteer, donor or student.

In order to see the impact of their involvement, a series of interviews is
being be released over the year. For April, we asked for input from former
students to see how their involvement with the ESF has helped them in the
course of their career.

Vladimir Shipilin is a young professional who is currently working at the
Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics. Originally from Uzbekistan,
Vladimir has been involved in many of the ESF supported activities,
including student workshops, Geo Quiz and annual conferences.

‘I used the knowledge obtained in a Paris 2017 student workshop during the
interview for my present position in Hannover. I can therefore say the ESF
has actively contributed towards my current employment!

Vladimir’s experience is a great example of how involvement in ESF
activities helps to develop the skills and network of next generation’s
geoscience experts. You can read the full interview with Vladimir on the
EAGE website.

ESF @ 10 interviews

Vladimir’s interview is part of a larger series. To see the latest and to learn
who has been involved, have a look at the dedicated ESF@10 page.

11 April 2019

Support for the creation and development of Student Chapters is one of the pillars of ESF
engagement with Earth Science students. Many of our student chapters have a well-established
track record working with the Fund, giving students at a platform to acquire skills and
new knowledge.

The students at Heriot-Watt University illustrate the opportunities offered through chapter involvement.
For this reason, we are happy to share the following report from the president of the
Chapter, Qi Zhang.

A 9 years old EAGE Student Chapter, based in the Institute of Petroleum Engineer of the
Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh – United Kingdom. Our chapter is composed by
an international and multicultural postgraduate student community involved in
petroleum industry orientated programmes.

Through the support of the EAGE Student Fund we have been able to develop a number of
activities recently. In 2018 the Heriot-Watt EAGE student chapter organized an interesting
social event to visit to Edinburgh Observatory. Academically we hosted a course by
Ian Jones, as a part of the EAGE Education Tour. The local EAGE student members are
involved in various research projects varying from geology to reservoir engineering,
which include Edinburgh Time Lapse Project, Carbonate Reservoir Research and others.

Being a post-graduate student chapter, we are always active presenting in EAGE conferences.
Every year a few students from our student chapter attend the annual EAGE conference
and a few other EAGE conferences as well. This is a key process in the life of our post-graduate
students and the chapter works to incentivize students to participate in such events
and help them get there. This year we have five abstracts accepted for the London conference,
studying areas such as reservoir modelling, 4D seismic analysis and seismic history matching.

The vision of the chapter is to become the primary source for students geoscience career
planning and a premier network of oil industry among student chapters. The mission of the
chapter is to develop knowledge and skills through educational activities and discussions,
build a better connection with EAGE community.

Heriot-Watt was founded in 1821, making it among the oldest higher education institutions in
the UK. In 1966, the then Heriot-Watt College, was granted university status by Royal Charter,
becoming Heriot-Watt University.  It is a university with a highly unusual international profile
and with a particular (but not exclusive) concentration on areas of science, engineering, technology
and business. Having world-class research and teaching, it produces highly employable and
innovative graduates with a strong professional orientation.

We are currentely constructing a webpage to post all our news and events:
https://etlp.hw.ac.uk/students/eage-chapter/

For more information, contact our president Qi Zhang ( qz8@hw.ac.uk ).