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Bureau Visiting Committee Considers Challenges and Solutions

August 27, 2020
2020 Zoom layout of Visiting Committee members

The Bureau of Economic Geology’s Visiting Committee recently came together for a virtual annual meeting. The Committee was briefed on how the Bureau has been successfully navigating the impacts of COVID-19 and the downturn in the energy industry while at the same time exploring various new avenues for research and support. Visiting Committee members include leaders from industry, state agencies, academia, and non-profit organizations, all possessing a deep appreciation for the work of the Bureau and the many ways it serves the public and undertakes the pursuit of energy, environmental, and economics research that matters.

The meeting agenda was designed to share potential opportunities for future research and to solicit the Committee members’ perspectives on innovative research thrusts and untapped funding resources.

Directors Scott Tinker, Mark Shuster, and Ken Wisian laid out the current state of the organization and their respective outlooks for the immediate future. Bureau senior researchers looked over the horizon and presented frameworks for new engagements in the Permian Basin; carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS); geothermal energy; neural networks, data analytics and machine learning; and critical minerals extraction from the Trans-Pecos region. In addition to participating in breakout group discussions early in the day to consider partnership opportunities, Visiting Committee members provided novel ideas and solid counsel throughout the day.

Current challenges for the Bureau of Economic Geology may not be insignificant, but the clear message coming out of this year’s Visiting Committee meeting is that the Bureau, with its extensive expertise and broad capacity, is well positioned and ready to capitalize on a variety of new geoscience research opportunities going forward.


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