April 2004

On Saturday, April 24th, Eric Potter, Associate Director for Energy at the Bureau, led a field trip through Great Hills Park in northwest Austin. Residents of the park’s surrounding communities braved the bad weather to learn about stratigraphy, springs and creeks, and geologic processes that created the canyon where Great Hills Park is located. Eric is an active volunteer at the park and supervises trail maintenance. Great Hills is a public park managed by the City of Austin. For more information about Great   Field-trip participants discovered the geological wonders of Great Hills Park thanks to Eric’s field trip. Hills and the other great parks in Austin, click here. 04/27/04

Senior Research Scientist Shirley Dutton was the seminar speaker on Friday, April 30. The title of Shirley’s presentation was “Play Analysis and Digital Portfolio of Major Oil Reservoirs in the Permian Basin.” [Abstract] 04/27/04

Coastal geologist James Gibeaut recently participated in a workshop to develop conceptual ecological models for Padre Island (Texas) and Gulf Islands National Seashore (Mississippi/ Florida). The workshop was held at the National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, and was led by Robert Twilley of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The   ecological models will guide the National Park Service in identifying the vital signs of the ecosystem to aid in monitoring the health of park resources. 04/26/04

Left to right, Bureau Director Scott W. Tinker, Bureau Alumnus of the Year Doug Ratcliff, and Jackson School Director William L. Fisher visit at the Jackson School Reception held April 19 at the 2004 AAPG Annual Convention in Dallas, where Ratcliff received the award.   Doug Ratcliff received the Second Annual Bureau of Economic Geology Alumnus of the Year award at the Jackson School Reception at the AAPG convention in Dallas on April 19. Now Associate Director of the Geology Foundation, Ratcliff was the Associate Director for Administration at the Bureau for more than 20 years. He joined the Bureau in 1974, starting as a clerk at the Well Sample and Core Library. Jackson School Director William L. Fisher welcomed guests to the reception and praised Ratcliff for his longtime service. Bureau Director Scott W. Tinker presented Ratcliff with a commemorative plaque and thanked him for his dedication and service to the Bureau, acknowledging the breadth of his experience from “slinging core” to managing the budget. Ratcliff earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from UT, completed an MBA at St. Edward’s University while working full time at the Bureau, and also earned another bachelor’s degree in geology from UT. He served as the General Chairman of the 2002 Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies annual convention in Austin and has long supported AAPG and Austin Geological Society professional activities. The first recipient of the Bureau alumnus award, Bill Galloway, holder of the Morgan J. Davis Chair Emeritus in the Department of Geological Sciences and former Research Scientist at the Bureau, attended the reception and congratulated his friend and former colleague. 04/20/04

On April 13, the Exploration Geophysics Laboratory (EGL) Industrial Associates held the first of three sponsor meetings for 2004 at Bureau headquarters   in Austin. The meeting featured 10 technical presentations by EGL researchers. Thirty-eight people attended, with representatives from small independents, major international companies, equipment manufacturers, and service providers. 04/20/04

Dr. Scott Tinker welcomes everyone to the Bureau for the 1st Annual Decision Makers Field Conference.   The inaugural “Decision Makers Field Conference: Natural Resources of Central Texas” was hosted by the Bureau April 7–8, 2004. More than 30 state legislators, key legislative staff, and leaders of State agencies attended. Participants were given the unique opportunity to explore the natural resources of Central Texas, including groundwater resources, fossil fuels, and nonfuel mineral resources, and to discuss the issues with the experts. Click here for more information. 04/15/04

The 2004 American Association of Petroleum Geologists annual meeting will be held April 18–21, in Dallas, Texas. More than 20 Bureau researchers will chair technical sessions and present papers and poster sessions. Click here for titles and abstracts.   BEG and Jackson School alumni are invited to attend an alumni reception on Monday, April 19, from 5:30 through 7:30 p.m., in the Windsor Room of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. During the reception, recent BEG Associate Director Doug Ratcliff will be awarded the second annual BEG Alumnus of the Year Award. 04/13/04

Research Scientist Associate Seay Nance will be the Bureau Seminar speaker on Friday, April 16, at 8:30 a.m. in the Main Conference Room. Seay will present “Hydrochemical Variability in the Plateau Aquifer System Edwards Plateau, Texas.” [Abstract] 04/13/04

Computing Services Manager Ron Russell was awarded the Jackson School Staff Excellence Award for exemplary performance at the Bureau. Ron is known for arriving early and staying late and has earned the respect of his co-workers for keeping computers and workstations running smoothly throughout the Bureau’s network. We at the Bureau congratulate Ron for this well-deserved   honor. This first-ever Jackson School Staff Excellence Award was presented to a member of each institution in the Jackson School and is expected to become an annual award. Other recipients are Ty Lehman (Senior Systems Analyst, Department of Geological Sciences), Eleanor Picard (Assistant to the Director, Institute for Geophysics), and Debra Sue Trinque (Senior Administrative Associate, Geology Foundation). 04/07/04

Research Associate Jean-Philippe Nicot will be the Bureau’s Seminar presenter on Friday, April 9, 8:30 a.m. Jean-Philippe will present “Desalination in Texas: What’s Next?” [Abstract] 04/05/04

The Bureau welcomes Tom Markowski as a new part-time member of the Geophysical Log Facility staff. Tom is scanning well logs and updating the well-log database, which serves the Bureau’s online Integrated Log and Core Database (IGOR). The Bureau welcomes Tom. 04/05/04

At 8:30 a.m. on April 2, P. Mitch Harris of ChevronTexaco presented “Geologic Framework and Reservoir Distribution, Tengiz Field, Kazakhstan.” Dr. Tinker followed with “What's Going on in D.C.” [PowerPoint] 04/02/04

The Bureau is pleased to announce a new member of the Houston Research Center staff, professional librarian Phyllis Vicars. Phyllis, Unocal’s technical librarian for many years, will manage the recent donation of library materials by Unocal. These materials will soon be made available to the public. 04/01/04

Geologist Laura Zahm reviews some maps from the Unocal donation.   The Bureau is excited to announce the generous donation by Unocal of its Sugar Land technical library now housed in the Houston Research Center. The donation, valued at nearly $5 million, includes books, journals, monographs, maps, and State and Federal geological reports primarily in the areas of geology, geochemistry, geophysics, and petroleum engineering. The library will be made available to the public, benefiting professionals throughout Houston. [More] 04/01/04