By Titia Praamsma
The SIFT was advertised to third year students at the University of Waterloo in February 1999 via email from Prof. Mario Coniglio, who is the CSPG's liaison on campus. The words "Field Trip Opportunity" in the "subject" line of his email message caught my eye. I study earth sciences because I love travelling and learning about landforms and geology. I became more excited when I read the contents of the email message. It mentioned that one student would be selected to go to Calgary to learn all about the petroleum industry and that the CSPG would cover all expenses except for approximately ten meals and any entertainment expenses we might procure. I had a feeling that since the trip was bringing together a large group of undergraduate geologists, that the entertainment expenses may be a little on the high side but nonetheless, I was still very excited about the opportunity.
First, a free trip to Calgary sounded very tempting as I had heard and read that Calgary was a great city, but I had not yet visited the city. Also, "free" always sounds attractive, especially to a student! The Rockies were this fantasy place that existed in my mind in the form of the many colours and lines on a geological map. I planned to eventually travel there but I could not pass up the prospect of learning from people who had spent their careers in the petroleum industry studying the depositional, structural and tectonic history of the Rockies.
I knew that going to the SIFT would be a monumental experience in my budding career as an earth scientist but the question remained - would I be selected? In order to apply, I was asked to write a letter addressing why I wanted to attend the SIFT, include a copy of my resume, and a copy of my academic transcript. All this did not seem like a very large task in return for the chance to compete for such an enticing experience. I was told that the selection process was not based on grades alone - there were students in my class whose marks surpassed my own and some of whom had previous work experience in the petroleum industry. The CSPG's selection committee also considered the rankings and recommendations from the CSPG liaison professor in our Department, and the potential of the applicant to contribute to and benefit from the wide range of activities planned in the trip.
I was quite surprised and elated to discover that I had been selected! In the middle of midterms I received an email that contained a list with the name of each person selected and the university they attended. The list was in alphabetical order, so anticipation was building as I scrolled down the list to find my name as the candidate for the University of Waterloo. I counted myself lucky. The anticipation that began with that email continued to grow during the months prior to SIFT, I knew it would be the time of my life.
First and foremost, SIFT is an educational trip. There were three main components to the trip: lectures, the "Exploration Game", and field trips.
Lectures
The lectures began before our jet lag had a chance to set in! The lecture portion of the trip was extremely intensive, covering numerous aspects of a very broad field over the course of two weeks. Lectures included an introduction to the oil industry, seminars focusing on siliciclastic and carbonate cores, oil and gas production technology, geophysics, heavy oil, well logging, and international and east coast exploration. Each lecture presented information on the petroleum industry that many of us were not exposed to in our university studies. The lectures were taught by seasoned experts who had spent a number of years working in each field. There was absolutely no doubt that each of these people loved their jobs and were happy to share their experiences with students who were eager to learn.
Exploration Game
We soon found out that everything we were learning in lectures would be put to good use in the "Exploration Game". The Exploration Game is one of the most realistic learning situations that a student hoping to work in the petroleum industry could be exposed to. During "the Game", as it is fondly known, each student was a member of a four-person exploration company that functioned as a real company would.
Each company was given a package containing well logs, a seismic line and ten million dollars of make-believe money to be used in the purchase of land and to drill wells. The wells either produced oil or gas and provided valuable well logs even if the well came up dry. We learned very quickly how to interpret the well logs in order to have more insight into the local geology and, to figure out the next place to drill.
Once all the land deals and drilling were complete and each group had come up with a geologic interpretation of the area using isopach maps, net pay maps, and cross sections, it was time to present all of the ideas to a panel of real experts. By this point, many of us realized we had been given a great opportunity to see a project through from start to finish, an opportunity that does not always present itself in the work place.
Field Trips
The Game and lectures were "interrupted" by a number of field trips. The first field trip was to Dinosaur Provincial Park, south of Drumheller. The trip consisted of a day hiking through the Badlands, viewing an occasional dinosaur bone embedded in strata exposed by glacial runoff.
The next day we visited the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller, containing countless reconstructed dinosaurs from the Drumheller area and around the world. We were invited into the storage rooms to see future displays and meet the people who worked on preserving the dinosaur bones.
To most "easterners", such as myself, the most exciting aspect of the SIFT was the four day Rocky Mountain Tour that took us by bus to oil and gas fields and the mountains. Three geologists from Shell Canada Limited were our leaders, and they taught us, using a microphone, speaker, and poster boards, about the geologic history of the Rockies and how it related to oil and gas production. This four day trip was definitely the highlight of the SIFT. The days spent learning in close quarters brought the group of students closer together.
After completing SIFT I began a work term for Environment Canada. I worked with a Sedimentologist learning about contaminant loading in modern depositional environments. Then, in the fall of 1999, I returned to Waterloo to complete my third academic year.
In January 2000, I left for a work term in Fort McMurray, Alberta to work for Syncrude, an oil sands company. A large part of my job at Syncrude involves well log interpretation and core logging, two skills I was introduced to while attending the SIFT. I am happy to have the opportunity to further develop these skills and to be a part of the petroleum industry.
I will never forget all the positive experiences that occurred during the SIFT. Besides all of the science and technology we were exposed to, it was also a fantastic opportunity to meet people. I am amazed as to how many friendships grew in the course of two short weeks.
The people I met and the incredible geology I learned will stay with me for years to come. The SIFT was the field trip opportunity of a lifetime that keeps me yearning for more petroleum industry experiences.