Bureau Research Symposium Brings Researchers Together

For the first time in two years, the Bureau of Economic Geology conducted its annual in-person Bureau Research Symposium. By all accounts, it was a great success. Bureau researchers presented 12 “nano talks” and lined the facility’s Multipurpose Room with 21 informative posters. The event was very well attended, and those present seemed to be delighted with being able to meet together and exchange ideas about their work for the first time in quite a while. The Symposium achieved its goal of building collaboration among scientists who are sometimes siloed in their respective labs and offices.

Led by Bureau Information Geologist Linda Ruiz McCall, the event team included Jessica Rowling, Evan O’Donnell, Roanne Draker, Kim LaValley, Kenneth Edwards, Francine Mastrangelo, Jason Suarez, Carson Werner, and Michael Wang. In addition to learning about a wide range of Bureau research, participants enjoyed a large and tasty spread of snacks and sweet treats.

Participants were encouraged to vote for their favorite posters and nano talks. The Best Poster Award went to Bissett Young, Hassan Dashtian, Tyson McKinney and Michael Young for their poster, “Updating the Texas Soil Observation Network (TxSON).” Two presenting teams tied for Best Nano Talk: Justin Thompson and Michael Young for “When Wells Fail: a Hydro-Economic Approach for Quantifying Well Performance Thresholds and Groundwater Yields” and Toti Larson and Evan Sivil for “High-Resolution Facies Stacking and Reservoir Attributes across Wolfcamp A-B and Third Bone Spring Sand, Delaware Basin: a Machine Learning Approach to Integrate Core and Wireline Measurements.”

Bureau Director Scott Tinker praised the participants: “Congratulations to the ‘voters’ choice’ winners of best poster and talk,” he said. “Every talk that I heard and poster that I stopped by was terrific! Keep up the great work.”