2006 Section Best Practices

Increasing Membership

• Alaska Section held a membership contest in which members could compete for prizes by signing up new members. The prizes including iPods and local restaurant gift certificates. The contest was a success and signed up 11 new members.
• Canadian Section has created a Volunteer Coordinator position on the Section Board. The coordinator advises section members on various volunteer opportunities such as career days, speaking opportunities, and trade show booth duty. The coordinator then follows up on assignments for those who sign up on the section website.
• Canadian Section held its first Stampede Breakfast in 2005 as a membership appreciation and development event. The catered breakfast was free to all section members and any new members who join SPE at the event. More than 250 attended the event, and 25 new members joining the Society.
• Copenhagen Section conducted a midseason membership survey to map members’ thoughts on how to improve the section. The Section Board made several modifications to the coming section year’s program, such as a “during dinner speech” and establishing poster sessions during the social hour to introduce ongoing or finalized projects.
• Daqing Section offers training for members to improve their technical English skills and a short course on English paper writing and presentation. The Section also holds an English speech competition, and the winner gets the chance to become an SPE member supported by sponsoring companies.
• Evangeline Section runs a local membership contest and rewards first, second, and third place with USD 300, 200, and 100, respectively.
• Evangeline Section successfully initiated a Young Professionals (YP) program. Average attendance for the first four meetings was more than 25, and included speakers on career development topics as well as technical subjects.
• France Section hosted the 2006 (European) YP Workshop. The objective was to help young members develop technical and interpersonal skills and broaden awareness of the industry. There were 45 participants from 18 countries. Forty percent of the participants were women.
• Gulf Coast Section organized the 2nd Annual Emerging Engineers Conference, which was attended by 110 young professionals representing 25 companies. The program boasted upper-management speakers from four major employers as well as presentations on technical skills, interpersonal skills, current events, and new technology.
• Lagos Section created four special committees to tackle issues such as membership, mentoring, corporate sponsorship, and best practices. Several senior members were asked to serve on these committees in an effort to bring more senior leadership back into active section participation. Future challenges are planned to be handled by special committee.
• Moscow Section has achieved significant membership growth in the past year, and established a YP program with a leadership group of four members. There were 50 attendees at the inaugural YP meeting. Later in the section year, the YP members gave a presentation at a regular section meeting.
• Netherlands Section held its fourth local workshop for young professionals since 2001 with an impressive line-up of speakers from the Clengendael Inst. of Energy Politics, the Delta Energy Inst., and Shell. The latest workshop also included a newly developed New Ventures Business Game, with senior advisers from the industry as judges.
• Netherlands Section organized a first-of-its-kind Mentorship Workshop attended by 80 people (40 seniors/40 YPs). After four presentations on mentorship and one from SPE Past President Giovanni Paccaloni, a speed mentorship round gave YPs one-on-one time with senior professionals volunteering to share their knowledge.
• New Delhi Section has had phenomenal membership growth during the past year through a variety of efforts. New members have been recruited and a personal reminder to members to renew or reinstate membership was sent. The Section assists members by providing a bulk payment facility to collect dues in Indian rupees and send on to SPE through wire transfer.
• Northern Emirates Section tries to make all events, whether social or technical, both diverse and fun for all members. They canvass members’ opinions and try to “mix things up a little” to ensure that nothing gets stale. When sponsorship is available, they are also able to offer great prizes for social events and attract more member participation.
• Northern Emirates Section has actively solicited universities to promote the section and industry to undergraduates and nonengineers alike. In addition, the section has been successful in booking air time on prime-time radio to discuss what the Society is all about and how it promotes the growth of knowledge within the oilfield community.
• Oklahoma City Section established an Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) that has led to an increase in younger members becoming interested in how to serve the organization. In addition, the ELP initiative has attracted members in the section not routinely interested in SPE including geologists, land professionals, and engineering technicians.
• Oman Section has established a Young Professionals Network initiated for young professionals who recently joined the local company or have few years of experience in the industry. Some of the visions for this initiative include helping provide a smooth transition from college to work, providing a set of contacts to answer typical queries, arranging quarterly meetings, and inviting high performers to share their secrets of success. A quarterly newsletter that highlights events also has been created.
• Port Harcourt Nigeria Section continued its successful Lunch and Learn Awareness Program to encourage membership growth by holding lunchtime talks with the staff of various companies to elaborate the benefits of SPE membership and active participation. The results have included an appreciable number of new members and collection of several outstanding dues and reinstatements of former SPE members.
• Romanian Section sponsored the entrance fees for all new members and annual dues for all retired active members in Romania.
• Saudi Arabia Section has successfully organized a bulk payment process for all Saudi Aramco employees. This initiative facilitates dues payments from current members and also helps recruit other employees in areas that support petroleum engineering. The section has grown dramatically to more than 900 members, and led its group in the annual Section Membership Contest.
• fdTripoli (now Libya) Section successfully re-established after an 18-year gap and now has grown to more than 300 members and held 11 technical presentations in the past year, with an average attendance of 180 people.

Community/Public Outreach

• Aberdeen Section created a 6-month-long exhibition at Aberdeen’s award-winning Maritime Museum entitled EvOilution. The exhibition captured the history and impact of the last three decades of North Sea oil and gas, and imagined the possibilities for innovation and success in future decades. Total number of visitors through March 2006 was almost 45,000.
• Aberdeen Section helped support the annual “TechFest,” an Aberdeen-based Science and Technology festival with demonstrations, exhibitions, lectures, and other events designed to promote science and technology to families. The Aberdeen Section also supports annual Young Engineers Club competition and Summer Geology Camps for 7 to 12 year olds.
• Alaska Section helped sponsor National Engineers Week February 20–26, 2006. Key attractions during the week were activities to encourage students to consider engineering as a career as well as engineering competitions at the University of Alaska–Anchorage. The week concluded with an Awards banquet at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, where SPE’s nominee, Shirish Patil, won the honor of 2005 Alaska Engineer of the Year.
• Billings Section includes as one of its long-term goals to educate the public about our industry. The section regularly sponsors “in-school” energy presentations by section members to hundreds of students from different schools. Sponsoring science expo presentations and science team competitions is also part of their public outreach program.
• Gulf Coast Section donates funds and volunteers for numerous community and educational projects through its Community Services Coordinating Committee. Projects included a wide variety of programs from science and engineering fairs to Engineering Week activities and student chapter support.
• London Section participated in an event organized by the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with Women in Business. Presentations were made by two section officers with the main message that while traditional industry demographics are predominantly male, it would have to start using the potential of women professionals over the next 15 years. SPE was profiled as providing training, networking, and knowledge sharing for professionals around the world and also offering a specific women’s online network to deal with gender-related career issues.
• Northern Emirates Section sponsored a Beach Clean up drive that was attended by 11 local schools. To promote the event, the section organized a competition to design a T-shirt logo and certificate that was given to each participant.
• Permian Basin Section actively participates with the Petroleum Museum of West Texas to supply free advertising for upcoming events. The section sponsors local 6th-grade tours of the museum, and during the 2005–06 school year, the section paid museum entrance fees for 780 elementary students.

Energy Education

• Dallas Section participates in an “Education Partnership” with the School for Science and Engineering at Newman Smith High School. The partnership uses financial support from the section for field trips, materials resources, and speakers.
• East Texas Section cosponsors and handles registration for the East Texas Engineering Week Banquet hosted by five different engineering societies. The event is attended by more than 200 local high school students and their teachers.
• Gulf Coast Section expanded the availability of Magic Suitcases from three to seven, and updated presentation material in the Magic Suitcases. Magic Suitcase presentations reached more than 1,300 students and professionals. The section website also provides answers to commonly asked questions and directs possible interested presenters to the most convenient pick-up/drop-off locations.
• Gulf Coast Section has at least one section board member attend bimonthly meetings of the Greater Houston Energy Education Collaborative. This new initiative is designed to leverage existing educational outreach programs to encourage students in the Houston area to consider careers in the energy industries.
• London Section worked in conjunction with GetEnergy Ltd. to address the difficulty of promoting science education in schools, with a particular focus on sustainable energy. This discussion was part of the January seminar on Attracting New Blood to the Oil and Gas Industry. As a result of the discussions, the section is cooperating further with GetEnergy on its international initiative Science and Technology Education for Sustainable Development.
• Los Angeles Basin Section is a major contributor and supporter of a program called COMET (California Oil Mentoring and Entrepreneurial Training) held annually since 1997. The 1-week event held in June is an introduction to the oil industry for high school students and teachers.
• Los Angeles Basin Section participated in two awards banquets and several industry tours arranged by the Orange County Engineering Council during National Engineers Week. After receiving lectures by L.A. Basin Section leaders and watching the SPE video produced by the Career Guidance Committee entitled The Quest, elementary school students were asked to write an essay about what they learned. The top three essays were posted on SPE’s website.
• Mid-Continent Section was one of the sponsors of the Oklahoma Science Bowl. Section members also ran the “Calculator Drill” during the Tulsa Engineering Challenge event, with more than 20 schools and 400 students participating.
• Oklahoma City Section has several members who participate in the Oklahoma Energy Board Petro-Pros Program that targets grade-school and middle-school students. Students learn about the petroleum industry, products that can be made from petroleum, and most importantly, how dangerous oil and gas leases can be and to stay away from these areas.
  San Joaquin Valley Section sponsored and hosted Engineering Day for some 500 high-school juniors at the Kern County Museum. SPE members gave presentations and manned booths representing their companies. The major employers all participated with a demonstration booth at the event.

Promoting Petroleum Engineering/Supporting Students

• Aberdeen Section supports the Heriot-Watt University Student Chapter by covering the cost of its coach travel for 300 miles from Edinburgh to Aberdeen for each meeting. Also, a live two-way web link is provided between SPE Aberdeen meetings and Heriot-Watt, providing students and professors not able to travel to see the technical presentations live and participate in question/answer sessions.
• Aberdeen Section helped launch the SPE Ambassador Lecturer program sending Emerging Leaders members to speak to students at Strahtclyde, Heriot-Watt, Dundee, Robert Gordon, and Aberdeen Universities.
• Alaska Section sponsored USD 28,250 in scholarships to 23 individuals including five SPE member dependants.
• Azerbaijan Section operates a mentorship program that specifically focuses on using young professionals to develop students and bring them into the industry quickly. Additionally, most young professionals have an assigned experienced mentor to guide them throughout the first years in the industry and advise them on the best career path.
• Azerbaijan Section organized a symposium to introduce students to the well-planning process and enhance their understanding of the need for thoroughness of good planning. There were 54 student participants in two days of discussions on the planning process used in the industry.
• Azerbaijan Section sponsored and supported the publication of a joint student “SPE newsletter,” which provided a communication vehicle for student chapters and an opportunity for section leaders to talk about the ways they had benefited from SPE membership since graduation. Further, the publication gave student leaders the opportunity to practice their leadership skills while working together.
• Bergen Section formally established a new student chapter for students attending the U. of Bergen and Bergen U. College. The new joint chapter is wholly supported by the section and has in 1 year grown from 15 members to more than 150 with their own website, monthly meetings, and social functions.
• Brunei Section assisted in organizing field trips to onshore facilities of Brunei Shell Petroleum for visiting undergraduates from Delft University and the University of Technology of Malaysia. The section regularly participates in local career meetings organized by the Ministry of Education aimed at promoting careers in the oil and gas industry.
• Denver Section gave out a record-breaking number and amount in scholarships for 2005–06 of almost USD 50,000, more than 10 times the total scholarships given out in 2002. This year, their scholarship program had an active committee that spent considerable time determining proper distribution of the money and awarding scholarships to more than 30 students at three different universities.
• Evangeline Section sponsored 32 science grants (USD 500 eachl) to Lafayette Parish elementary, secondary, and senior high schools. Section members worked with teachers to support science education, including sending members to events such as Engineering Day and Career Days.
• Gulf Coast Section held their ninth annual Petroleum Engineering Recruiting Fairs. Presenters included university recruiters, industry leaders, recent graduates, and the section’s Internship Chairman. Information packets contained scholarship applications, the SPE salary survey, biographies of past scholarship winners, and career information.
• Gulf Coast Section marked its 43rd anniversary of the Engineers for Tomorrow Scholarship Program and with the SPE Houston Auxiliary combined to commit USD 70,000 in new scholarships for 35 Houston-area high school graduating seniors. The section also renewed USD 58,000 in scholarships to 29 of the program’s prior recipients, all of whom are majoring in petroleum engineering.
• Gulf Coast Section started a new initiative in 2006 to offer a mentorship program to its scholarship recipients. The objective is to foster communication between the scholarship winners and industry professionals.
• Java Indonesia Section sponsored a two-day industry orientation workshop and a two-week intern program for 10 recent college graduates. The section also promoted summer work programs with industry employers, which fulfills graduation requirements and gives practical experience for new graduates.
• Java Indonesia Section sponsored the Indonesian Student Paper Contest in Bandung, Indonesia, supplying judges and speakers. The section also provided funds for travel and accommodations for students attending from other universities. The paper contest winner is also sponsored by the section to participate in the Regional Student Paper Contest held in conjunction with Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition.
• Java Indonesia Section sponsors a three-day student gathering each summer where members from each of the four student chapters supported by the section meet to share experiences and make plans for the coming year. The section pays for all travel expenses, meals, and lodging for this meeting.
• London Section sponsored a Student Paper Contest at the May 2006 section meeting organized jointly with staff of Imperial College, London. Two teams of students presented papers on the Wytch Farm Field Development. The winning team was awarded a prize of GBP 300, presented in £1 pound coins, making it a weighty prize and golden photo opportunity.
• London Section launched a new initiative to expand scholarships to support three MSc students at Imperial College, London, by asking companies to partially or fully sponsor students where SPE London offered to match any partial funding offers. Contributions from Amerada Hess (100%), Perenco (50%), and Anadarko (33%) created sponsorships for three students instead of the one scholarship traditionally given during the last 30 years. The result was a win-win situation for all involved, because the companies benefit from getting to know the students and students benefit from the funding as well as work experience with the sponsoring companies.
• Mexico Section held a student thesis contest in 2005 with students from both sponsored chapters participating. A total of 10 undergraduate theses were presented with total attendance of more than 60 students and professionals. Section members constituted the jury and provided monetary prizes for the top three places.
• Moscow Section hosted the first Russian Student Paper Contest and all nine student chapters from Russia were represented. The event was largely funded by sponsorships from local operating and service companies. Future plans for the next student paper contest are to expand to include universities form Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Eastern Europe.
• Northern China International Section has developed a relationship with chapter at the China University of Petroleum in Beijing, and invites 20 students (one busload) to each section meeting and to any social events held. The section has recently purchased USD 750 of petroleum-related textbooks from SPE to donate to the China U. of Petroleum Chapter library.
  Northern Emirates Section hosted the 2nd Oil and Gas Career Fair in March 2006, which targeted undergraduates, recent graduates, and experienced professionals who were looking to enter or advance their careers in the industry. With attendance of more than 500 and 10 exhibiting companies along with presentations and lectures, this Career Fair was considered to be a huge success by both students and attending companies looking for new personnel.
• Ohio Petroleum Section provided several section volunteers to make presentations to schools through the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program. The section has been involved for 15 years with the Ohio Academy of Science’s State Science Day, which gives awards to student winners at the junior high and high school levels.
• Permian Basin Section coordinated the “Introduce a Girl to Engineering” during Engineering Week. Several section board members visited local schools and presented students a program outlining careers in engineering with an emphasis on potential careers for women. Six women petroleum engineers and three college recruiters presented personal experiences and requirements for pursuing an engineering career to almost 190 senior high school students. Thirteen colleges and universities with engineering or technology programs contributed resources to the event.
• Port Harcourt Nigeria Section in conjunction with the Nigerian Council continued its Catch Them Young program to invite secondary schools to participate in essay and quiz competitions. Topics of the essays are usually petroleum-related, and the quizzes cut across many science and engineering topics. For encouragement, the best three students are usually given full board sponsorship (with a parent as a guide) to participate at the subsequent Nigerian Annual Intl. Conference and Exhibition.
• Queensland Australia Section held their second “Industry Meets the Students Night” to address the lack of engineers being attracted to the oil and gas industry. Both experienced and younger members assisted in providing undergraduate students a better understanding of petroleum engineering, resulting in an increase in membership in the local SPE Student Chapter.
• Saudi Arabia Section regularly sponsored many student activities totaling more than USD 20,000 this past year, resulting in increased interaction and communication with industry professionals, technical presentations, joint field trips, and discussions.
• Stavanger Section organized an industry presentation for students at the University of Stavanger, where the objective was to encourage and motivate students to continue their petroleum technology education. Presentations included sponsoring companies presenting their views on the future and what they look for in new employees. Some 90 students attended, and had the opportunity to meet with key oil industry managers in an informal social setting with dinner provided.
• Stavanger Section organized the 4th Energy 21 Conference in cooperation with Offshore Media Group with a program directed toward motivating students and young professionals for career development in the upstream oil and gas industry. Section members handled all the program and speaker arrangements. The novel program concept was a mix of senior management presentations, young professional speakers, group and panel discussions. Other sponsors included Norwegian Oil Industry Association and Norwegian Research Council. Twenty-one of the leading oil companies and suppliers sent their young professionals and sponsored students from all over Norway, with a total of 130 participants.

Innovative Technology Transfer

• Aberdeen Section helped organize Devex 2006, a two-day technical subsurface conference and exhibition. Focus of the conference was on new improved recovery technologies. There were 320 delegates, 58 technical papers, and 18 exhibition stands, with a keynote breakfast and post-conference field trip.
• Alaska Section jointly sponsored a technical conference with SPE Western North America Region, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Pacific Section, and Geological Soc. of America, Cordilleran Section. The conference included 31 technical presentations, 14 poster sessions, a Brooks Range symposium, and several theme sessions. An exhibit hall was filled with 40 booths and attracted more than 15 corporate sponsors, with total attendance of more than 900, far surpassing expectations.
• Bergen Section held its 13th annual one-day seminar on Petroleum Engineering and Reservoir Management, attracting more than 400 delegates and 32 exhibitors. The technical program included 66 technical presentations.
• Canadian Section jointly sponsored the International Thermal Operations and Heavy Oil Symposium along with the Petroleum Society of Canada and the Canadian Heavy Oil Association. The theme of the conference reflected the multidisciplinary nature of the heavy-oil and oil-sands business. More than 1,000 delegates attended, and there were more than 100 technical paper presentations in addition to panel sessions and a keynote address by the Alberta Energy Minister.
• Dallas Section participates in the North Texas Energy Council, which disseminates section meeting information and educational opportunities among many regional petroleum groups.
• Delta Section participates in a joint-industry initiative with 16 other energy industry organizations entitled the “One Voice” Committee. The Committee expands on the mission of the SPE Petroleum Engineering Education Committee to include improving the image of the industry; reaching out to the community with volunteer activities in a focused, cooperative manner; and developing interest in the entire industry through education.
• Denver Section supports four study groups in production, completion, and the environment; drilling; reservoir and formation evaluation; and computer applications. All groups use a bring-your-own “lunch and learn” format and typically try to highlight SPE papers presented at the Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition or other regional symposia.
• East Kentucky Section started an annual “SPE Construction Meeting” 20 years ago that has grown into its most attended meeting each year. It has also expanded to nearby sections in West Virginia and Ohio. During the meetings, companies discuss their respective drilling programs for the coming year (also known as the Liar’s Club meeting).
• Evangeline Section hosted the 2006 International Symposium and Exhibition on Formation Damage Control, which attracted almost 500 attendees from around the world.
• Gulf Coast Section conducts 12 different study groups with monthly meetings in addition to monthly general luncheon meetings and special conferences and workshops. Attendance for some study group speakers often exceeds the attendance at the monthly general meetings.
• Gulf Coast Section initiated a Technology Transfer Committee composed of members from operating companies, service companies and independent consultants.
• Hungarian Section jointly sponsored the 26th International Petroleum and Gas Conference with Hungarian Mining and Metallurgical Society as well as joint professional lectures, excursions, and other programs.
• London Section conducts an annual survey of members’ interests to structure the coming year’s technical programs. Members select their 10 favorite topics from a list of more than 40. The survey results are then used to compose their panel sessions, meetings, and seminars. This process helps ensure the program offerings have the right mix.
• Mid-Continent Section along with the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) hosted the 15th SPE/DOE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium, with more than 600 delegates, a better than 50% increase from the 2004 event.
• Northern Emirates Section publishes in almost every edition of its section monthly newsletter a new or innovative idea or piece of technology. This enables companies within the region to show off their products at no real cost to a targeted audience. Demand for featuring this information in their publication is heating up, and many different companies are using this opportunity to present new technology that can also benefit section members.
• Northern Michigan Section cosponsored with Petroleum Technology Transfer Council and Western Michigan University a carbonate workshop, with more than 150 people attending.
  Permian Basin Section hosts eight monthly technical section meetings and four active study groups. During the year, 23 group meetings, averaging 37 attendees were held. The section also sponsored an international conference, a new seminar, a symposium, and two workshops.
• Port Harcourt Nigeria Section organized a seminar on “Efficient Wealth Management of Wealth from Petroleum Resources: The Way Forward.” Three hundred attendees participated, featuring discussions that emphasized the need for young professionals to enter the industry.
• Salt Lake Petroleum Section held a successful symposium entitled “2006 Utah Fossil Fuel Resources Symposium–Shale Oil Resources of the Green River Formation: Opportunities and Limitations.” The event had more than 80 attendees including many non-members and participants from other nearby sections.
• Stavanger Section arranged a two-day management conference on the challenges facing the industry, titled “Norwegian Petroleum Conference: How To Cross the Valley of Death.” A committee of chief executive management representatives from oil companies, suppliers, and authorities assured high management focus and attracted key management representatives to address predefined topics. There were 130 attendees, of whom 75% were at vice president level or higher.
• Trinidad and Tobago Section invited young members to deliver technical papers at the section’s technical meetings, encouraging them to use these meetings as “dry runs” in preparation for delivery to larger international audiences. Young professionals are also recruited to join the section board in preparation for leadership roles.

Website Related Items

• Aberdeen and London Sections – SPE U.K. website was relaunched in Spring 2005 following migration from an external provider to the website now hosted completely by SPE. The new website design closely follows the guidelines set by its own newsletter and strengthens the SPE Aberdeen and London Sections external branding. Features most popular on the site include meetings pages and where to register online, as well as job vacancy postings and the ability to download information on recent meetings and seminars. A limited amount of industry-specific advertising is sold to cover the costs of site maintenance, and all profits are returned to London and Aberdeen, split evenly, to finance other section activities. During this past year, content on the website has grown as well as activity, averaging between 6,000 to 8,000 visits per month.
• Canadian Section revised its website and has a complete calendar on its homepage where any other SPE section or industry organization can post notices, announcements, and even technical articles using online forms. The Section uses a website committee to moderate all submissions to ensure relevance. This change arose from a section survey. To encourage member responses, a prize drawing was held from all submissions for a CND 100 gift certificate to a popular downtown Calgary restaurant. Nearly 200 survey responses were received.
• Gulf Coast Section added several new features to its website, including an RSS upgrade, job board, financial highlights, site statistics, and podcasting so that study groups and committees could begin posting audio and video files from luncheons and seminars.

Newsletter/Communications

• Aberdeen and London Sections share a joint magazine titled SPE Review, which includes details of upcoming events as well as reports on technical meeting presentations. Once a quarter, these sections also mail the publication to all SPE Europe members as an added member benefit. Regular monthly circulation is more than 4,500.
• Aberdeen and London Sections provide further emphasis for their YP members with a feature in the SPE Review titled “60 Seconds With a Young Professional.” Members get to know these young professionals through the feature, thus broadening networking opportunities.
• New Delhi Section launched its first newsletter in August 2005 and has published eight issues. All issues are posted on the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Reports website. The section also sends copies to corporate executives to publicize section activities and SPE membership benefits. Sponsorships cover more than the cost of publication and distribution.
• Stavanger Section publishes a monthly newsletter nine times per year. Each issue covers meetings and events for all four Norwegian sections. Section Chairmen take turns writing the lead article. Each issue contains a list of upcoming meetings and chapter events, and advertisements for local sponsoring companies. Twenty percent of the yearly income through the Bulletin goes directly to Oslo and Trondheim sections as financial support and 5% to the student chapter to help these smaller groups organize their technical meetings and seminars.

Intersociety Cooperation

• Aberdeen and London Sections have Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) in place with the Energy Inst. (EI), the Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain (PESGB), and the Aberdeen Formation Evaluation Society. These MOUs provide reduced delegate fees for events and advertisement for all events on each society’s website. The ongoing cooperation has been instrumental in organizing events and sharing technologies.
• Billings Section frequently has joint meetings with the Montana Geologic Society to expose both memberships to the talented speakers brought in by both groups. This has created cross-pollination of both societies so now both groups enjoy participation by the others’ members in their respective meetings.
• Denver Section cosponsored the Annual Denver Prospect Fair and Technofest along with the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, Denver Association of Petroleum Landmen and the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States.
• Denver Section sponsored several “Network Bashes” during the 2005–06 season, hosted with other societies in an effort to liaise with industry employers.
• Gulf Coast Section continues to support the Houston Energy Council, which it helped form in 1999. The Council is designed to promote communication among professional energy associations in Houston. Its mission is to share information, promote cross-disciplinary education and networking, encourage participation in each other’s programs, and facilitate development of cooperative programs.
• London Section is helping to organize Petex 2006, a biennial conference cosponsored with the Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain (PESGB). Petex is the largest conference and exhibition dedicated to the petroleum exploration and production industry in the U.K. The program will include session on future energy challenges, worldwide exploration challenges, advances in seismic technologies, non-seismic technologies, drilling and borehole technologies, reservoir development and production showcases, and field monitoring and management technology.
• London Section organized several continuing education seminars and workshops in conjunction with other professional associations. A seminar on petroleum economics was organized in conjunction with British Institute of Energy Economists, and a seminar titled Attracting New Blood to the Oil and Gas Industry had a guest speaker from the Energy Institute.
• Oman Section held a joint event in March 2006 with the Geology Society of Oman and the SPE Abu Dhabi Section, which included a field trip, social activities (including family visit to a planetarium and a local museum), and a technical presentation about the search for petroleum in Oman – the first 100 years.
• Pittsburgh Petroleum Section conducted all monthly meetings jointly with the Pittsburgh Association of Petroleum Geologists as well as a jointly sponsored annual golf tournament and holiday party.
• Queensland Australia Section held a successful short course on coalbed methane well completions and production in conjunction with the Australian Journal of Mining. The section regularly holds joint meetings with Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia, where there is a common geological interest.
• San Joaquin Valley Section holds networking meetings each month with other professional societies, as well as an annual golf tournament, which last year had more than 130 golfers. Four companies provided food and prizes.
• Stavanger Section cooperates on many initiatives with the three other SPE sections in Norway as well as the Norwegian Petroleum Society in preparing joint meeting programs, and joint social events such as the Christmas party and presentations on both technical and non-technical topics.
• Swiss Section has established close relationships with local universities, the Geneva Petroleum Club, and the Swiss Association of Petroleum Geologists, and has been offered a permanent seat to attend the United Nations European Commission on Energy events.
• Trinidad and Tobago Section collaborates with Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago in providing annual career guidance seminars to high school students, as well as long-standing arrangements to bring greetings to members of the other societies at its annual banquet and awards ceremony.

Miscellaneous Points of Interest

• Azerbaijan Section held its major fundraising and social event of the year with a bowling and dance evening, with an attendance split almost 50/50 between expatriates and Azeri national members. Cash prizes were awarded for the best bowling scores, and a raffle raised funds with raffle items donated by BP, Schlumberger and other sponsors.
• Canadian Section sponsors an annual Volunteer Night to recognize and thank everyone who has volunteered for the Canadian Section in some capacity, no matter how small, during the past year. The 2005 venue was a gourmet barbecue at the Calgary Zoo with more than 70 members and family enjoying the festivities. All outgoing Canadian Section Board members were presented with beautiful glass Inukshuks to thank them for their contribution. (Inukshuk is an Inuit word that literally translated means "Stone man that points the way." Inukshuks can be found throughout Northern Canada from Baffin Island to Victoria. The purpose of the Inukshuk was to show direction and guide the way. The Inukshuk has been adopted today as a symbol to remind us of our dependence on each other and the value of strong relationships.)
• Evangeline Section contributed USD 10,000 to Habitat for Humanity’s effort to build homes for displaced homeowners after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, and specifically requested assistance for victims from the oilfield relocating in the area.
• Golden Gate Section organized a very effective 40th anniversary committee with 18 different participants from six separate organizations resulting in a well-attended dinner cruise with more than 100 attendees. The section was able to use this event-planning project to provide opportunities for members to get involved and increase the level of volunteerism, which will transfer to other events in the coming year.
• Gulf Coast Section organizes an annual awards and scholarship banquet, where the multifaceted technical and leadership achievements of several generations of superstars in the energy industry were celebrated by 330 attendees. Groups recognized included scholarship winners, science fair prize recipients, Legion of Honor members, SPE Section and Regional award winners, and ELP members.
• London Section has an agreement with the U.K. Energy Institute to allow SPE members to apply for chartered engineer status. The arrangement started on a pilot basis in 2004 and now is a fully working program that allows applicants the opportunity to register as chartered engineers at discount rates as a route to professional accreditation.
• London Section asks existing sponsors at the start of the calendar year to renew their sponsorship, and it approaches several new companies for funding. As incentive, the company will be mentioned in the SPE Review, on the website, and at their monthly meetings. The sponsor will also be able to use two free tickets, one for a dinner meeting and one for a continuing education seminar. Sponsors are informed that funds collected will be used in a number of ways including sponsoring full-time petroleum engineering students at Imperial College, undertaking initiatives to encourage schools and colleges to promote careers in the upstream industry, and helping support section meetings and seminars on a monthly basis. The results have been very encouraging, with a total of 27 companies enlisted including major and medium-sized oil companies, service companies, and independents.
• London Section organized a new high-profile social event toward the end of the section year entitled the Inaugural Summer Ball and held at the prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel in Central London. The event was “black tie” and featured a celebrity guest speaker who was a former member of British Parliament. All available 200 tickets and every sponsorship sold within weeks of the first announcement.
• Oman Section celebrated its 20th anniversary in December 2005 as well as achieving record membership growth during 2005 to more than 400 members. The event featured a presentation by H.E. Nasser Al Jashmi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas, and a film presentation showing some old clips of local events made by Samir Al-Kharusi. The section is the oldest professional society in Oman.
• Port Harcourt Nigeria Section held its third annual football match between the oil producers and service companies. Inviting chief executives to participate in such a non-technical event was part of the section’s efforts to build new relationships with industry employers.
• Stavanger Section holds its annual barbecue event at which awards are given for Oil Man of the Year, Young Engineer, MSc and PhD Student of the Year. The Oil Man of the Year award is perceived as a very prestigious honor, and the announcement is well covered in local media. More than 500 attendees joined in this celebration.

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