April 2002

The annual Texas Aggregate and Concrete Association (TACA) Truck Rodeo was held at Capitol Aggregates on Sunday, April 28th. Bureau staffer Sigrid Clift participated in the children's events with a variety of rock- and mineral-related activities. more 04/30/02

Bureau employees gathered Friday, April 26 for the Bureau's 7th Annual International Luncheon. The International Luncheon is a celebration of the cultural diversity at the Bureau and the achievement of those Bureau staff receiving service awards. This year, 14 Bureau employees received service awards. 04/30/02 From left to right: Lynda Miller, Wanda LaPlante, George Bush, Rick Richardson, Alan Dutton, Doug Ratcliff, Scott Tinker, Tom Tremblay, Shirley Dutton, Mark Holtz, and Dixon Coulbourn. Not pictured: Lana Dieterich, Bob Hardage, Seay Nance, and Jeff Paine.

Sigrid Clift attended an Earth Science Week (ESW) meeting at USGS headquarters in Reston, Virginia on April 22, 2002. ESW is sponsored by the American Geological Institute (AGI) and is celebrated the 2nd full week of October each year. USGS Director, Dr. Charles Groat, gave the opening presentation and talked to participants about the role that ESW plays to educate the public about the relevance of the earth sciences and how it affects our daily lives through the environment, geohazards, and our dependence on the earth's natural resources. For more information about ESW in Texas, please visit the Texas ESW website. At left: Dr. Michael Smith, Education and Outreach Director for AGI, facilitated and organized the ESW workshop. 04/26/02

Bureau Research Associate Dr. Eugene Kim was the luncheon speaker for the 68th Federal Tax Forum hosted by the American Petroleum Institute on Monday, April 22, in Houston, Texas. The title of his luncheon presentation was "Natural Gas: Overview and Current Issues."  04/22/02

Associate Director Dr. Jay A. Raney lead the Austin Geological Society's Spring 2002 field trip on Saturday, April 20, from 9 a.m. until noon at McKinney Falls State Park. The trip was particularly suitable for non-geologists, spouses, friends, K-12 teachers, and the public. Of course, everyone is welcome. [Details]

The Bureau's Friday morning seminar speaker for April 19 was BEG Research Associate Mark H. Holtz. The title of his 8:30 a.m. presentation was "Modeling Residual Gas Saturation to Aquifer Influx." [Abstract]. 04/17/02

The GEO 2002 5th Middle East Geoscience Conference and Exhibition, held in Bahrain April15–17, drew many Bureau representatives. Among them were Associate Directors Doug Ratcliff and Eric Potter, shown above staffing the BEG booth, and Director Scott Tinker, pictured below with Dr. Aboud Afifi and Kathy Afifi. Dr. Afifi is an area Manager for Saudi ARAMCO in charge of the reservoir geology of Ghawar field, the largest oil field in the world. 04/26/02

Senior Research Fellow F. Jerry Lucia recently presented "Dolomitization: A Porosity-Destructive Process" to attendees at the monthly dinner meeting of the Michigan Basin Geological Society and the Society of Petroleum Engineers in Lansing, Michigan. Jerry's talk was designed a year ago for his tour as an AAPG Distinguished Lecturer. 04/16/02

Our staff photographer David Stephens did a great job capturing the fun during the UT/BEG/UTIG/Jackson School picnic on Saturday, April 13, at Zilker Park. To see all the fun, click here. 04/10/02

Dr. Michael R. Hudec was the Bureau's Friday morning seminar speaker on April 12 in the Main Conference Room. His presentation was an introduction of the first module of a multi-year project of the Bureau's Applied Geodynamics Laboratory, titled "Introducing the Salt Mine: An Interactive Atlas of Salt Tectonics." [Abstract]

Members of the Desk and Derrick Club, Texas Region, visited the Bureau on April 12 for a tour of the facilities. The mission of the club is to promote the education and professional development of individuals employed in or affiliated with the petroleum industries. Cari Breton and Sigrid Clift served as tour guides; presentations were made by Bob Loucks, Steve Ruppel, George Bush, Daniel Ortuno, Scott Rodgers and John Andrews. [Photos]

The Bureau was one of 65 organizations that exhibited at the  East Texas Geological Society Tech 2002 and Prospect Expo held at the Harvey Hall Convention Center in Tyler, Texas, on April 11. Sylvia Jennette and Sigrid Clift represented the Bureau at the event. Sylvia Jennette answers questions about the Bureau at the ETGS Tech 2002 and Prospect Expo in Tyler. Almost 400 petroleum industry professionals attended the event.

Martin Jackson departed for Morocco on April 6 as a guest of Morocco's national oil company, L'Office National de Recherches et d'Exploitations Pétrolières (ONAREP). At the Marrakesh International Oil and Gas Exhibition and Conference, he presented a keynote paper entitled "Contrasting Modes and Magnitudes of Shortening in Salt and Sediment on the African Atlantic Passive Margin" (co-authored by Mike Hudec) and chaired a session on "New Developments in Exploration and Production." He also gave a short course on salt tectonics and spent several days on a field trip to the Moroccan High Atlas and outer Sahara. 03/29/02

Dr. Bruno C. Vendeville was the Bureau's Friday morning invited seminar speaker on April 5, in the Main Conference Room. The title of his presentation was: "Examples of Late Shortening of Minibasins and Salt in the Gulf of Mexico (SE Mississippi Canyon) and in Experiments." [Abstract]. 04/03/02

The Austin Geological Society held its monthly meeting on Monday, April 1, 2002, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) campus, Board Room, 1st Floor Hancock Building, Austin. Bureau researcher Dr. Bridget Scanlon and Dr. Brian Smith of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District presented: "Groundwater Modeling of the Barton Springs Segment of the Edwards Aquifer, Texas." [Abstract]. 03/29/02

The Bureau welcomes Dr. Jean-Philippe Nicot to its team of environmental researchers. Jean-Philippe received both his M.A. (1995, geological sciences with an emphasis on hydrogeology) and Ph.D (1998, civil engineering) degrees from UT. His B.S. degree in geological engineering was awarded by the Institut National Polytechnique de Lorraine in Nancy, France, in 1981. Prior to coming to the Bureau, Jean-Philippe worked with Duke Engineering and Services, investigating nuclear waste disposal. Before coming to UT to study, he worked in North Africa for 10 years as a mining exploration geologist.