geophysics

Bill Barkhouse, Associate Executive Director, Business Development & Geophysics, joined us to talk about the founding and future of the SEG Advanced Modeling (SEAM). Show notes at seg.org/podcast.

Seismic Soundoff

#4: SEG Advanced Modeling (SEAM)

Listen to a brief introduction of SEG's first podcast - Seismic Soundoff - with highlights from its first twelve episodes. 

* Listen to exclusive interviews with SEG authors, award winners, and geophysics legends.
* Hear the inside stories behind the latest technology and hottest topics of the day.
* Gain behind the scenes access to the projects of Geoscientists Without Borders®.

New episodes monthly. Learn more at https://seg.org/podcast.

#0: Introduction to Seismic Soundoff (podcast trailer)

Dr. Baishali Roy, special section coordinator for the March 2017 issue of The Leading Edge, joins Andrew Geary to discuss data analytics and machine learning in geophysics. Dr. Roy has worked at ConocoPhillips since 2000. She currently serves on the TLE Editorial Board.

Subscribers can read the full articles in the SEG Digital Library at http://library.seg.org and for those currently not subscribed, abstracts are always free.

Visit http://seg.org/podcast for show notes.

Sponsor
The SEG Wiki is home to hundreds of biographies of key geoscientists, geophysical tutorials, and core content from the science of applied geophysics. Visit http://wiki.seg.org to learn how you can grow the world’s first online, geophysics encyclopedia.

#14: Data analytics and machine learning - Baishali Roy

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Nishank Saxena on advancements in image processing and machine learning. June's The Leading Edge highlights these topics and showcases methods to achieve meaningful geological results while reducing costs and increasing speed. Nishank Saxena served as a guest editor.    

Show notes and links at https://seg.org/podcast/Post/6353. 

Interviewee bio
Dr. Nishank Saxena works as a research petrophysicist at Shell. His interests include all aspects of theoretical and computational geophysics. Nishank also pioneered the work on generating benchmarks for the digital rock physics technology. He received his Ph.D. in geophysics and seismology from Stanford University. 
 
SEG awarded him the J. Clarence Karcher Award in 2016. Gary Mavko, in his citation, stated, "Through his passion, creativity, and good nature, Nishank Saxena has helped to raise the bar in rock-physics research. I believe that, with Nishank and others of his generation, the future of geophysics is in good hands."

Subscribers can read the full articles in the SEG Digital Library at https://library.seg.org/ and abstracts are always free. 

Sponsor
Seismic Soundoff is sponsored by the SEG Wiki - the place to find hundreds of biographies of geoscientists, open-access tutorials, and ongoing translations of SEG's best-selling book, Robert Sheriff's Encyclopedic Dictionary. Visit the https://wiki.seg.org to explore the world’s first online, geophysics encyclopedia.

Credits
Interview: Nishank Saxena

Original music by Zach Bridges. 

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Special thanks to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Beth Donica, Ally McGinnis, Mick Swiney, and Adrienne White. Steve Brown, Managing Editor of The Leading Edge, helped set up the interview.

#36: Image processing and machine learning

Igor Kvasov, engineering manager at Google and co-founder of SeismoTrack, joins host Andrew Geary to discuss his new book, Numerical Modeling of Seismic Responses from Fractured Reservoirs by the Grid-characteristic Method. Igor and Andrew discuss just what is the grid-characteristic method and its advantages, the future of data acquisition and seismic surveys, why numerical modeling should be used more in survey planning, and Igor's challenge to the geoscience community on numerical modeling.

Get your copy of Numerical Modeling of Seismic Responses from Fractured Reservoirs by the Grid-characteristic Method today at https://seg.org/shop!

Visit https://seg.org/podcast/Post/8688 for the complete show notes.

This episode is proudly sponsored by TGS.

BIOGRAPHY
Igor Kvasov graduated from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), Russia, in 2008 (physics and applied mathematics). Having successfully completed his thesis on numerical simulation of wave processes in heterogeneous solid elastic bodies, Kvasov received his Ph.D. in physics and computer science from MIPT in 2011. During 2006–2015, he served as an associate professor at the MIPT Computer Science and Computational Mathematics Department. Currently, he works as an engineering manager at Google in California. 

As part of his research in the numerical simulation of wave processes, Kvasov has made significant improvements in and broadened the abilities of the grid-characteristic method (GCM), including the ability to handle hundreds of thousands of fractures, which corresponds to the conditions of real fractured reservoirs, and the ability to model such 3D fractured prospects using unstructured grids. His research on the properties of seismic responses from fractured reservoirs helps solve the problem of their direct detection.
 
SPONSOR
TGS is the global gateway to subsurface intelligence from seismic to well data. As a leading geoscience data provider to the energy industry TGS invests in onshore and offshore multi-client data projects in an array of basins worldwide - ranging from new-entry frontier markets to established, mature basins. TGS’s extensive data library portfolio services the entire upstream life cycle from exploration through the appraisal and development stage. Leveraging the breadth of this world-class library TGS enhances the exploration process through advanced analytics and analytics-ready data products. Visit https://www.tgs.com/.

CREDITS
Original music by Zach Bridges. 

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

Buy the book

68: The Future of Data Acquisition and Seismic Surveys

In this episode, host Andrew Geary previews Lisa Gavin's upcoming Honorary Lecturer tour in the Pacific South on seismic azimuthal anisotropy. Lisa and Andrew discuss the 3 main reasons it's important to be aware of seismic azimuthal anisotropy, why you should account for it in 4-D seismic interpretation, who this lecture is for, and what excites her about the future of this topic.

Visit https://seg.org/podcast/Post/8762 for the complete show notes and links to her upcoming tour dates.

BIOGRAPHY
Lisa Gavin is a geophysicist with academic and industry experience in the oil and gas industry. She has worked as a geophysicist at Fugro Seismic Imaging, Chevron, and is currently at Woodside Energy in Perth, Australia. She has interests in seismic anisotropy, quantitative interpretation, 4D seismic, and rock physics and holds a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of Western Australia.

Credits
Original music by Zach Bridges. 

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

69: Why seismic azimuthal anisotropy matters

In this episode, host Andrew Geary highlights Sergey Fomel's Distinguished Lecturer tour, "Automating seismic data analysis and interpretation." Sergey and Andrew dive deep into automatic picking, why humans will always be essential to data analysis and interpretation, the value of this lecture for someone not familiar with programming, and one tip to help anyone succeed as a geophysicist.

Note: Sergey's tour is currently canceled due to COVID-19 coronavirus concerns. In its place, Sergey is offering two, free virtual lectures. Please learn more and register at https://seg.org/podcast/Post/8979.

BIOGRAPHY
Sergey Fomel is Wallace E. Pratt Professor of Geophysics at The University of Texas at Austin and the director of the Texas Consortium for Computational Seismology (TCCS). At UT Austin, he is affiliated with the Bureau of Economic Geology, the Department of Geological Sciences, and the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences. 

Sergey received a Ph.D. in geophysics from Stanford University in 2001. For his contributions to exploration geophysics, he has been recognized with a number of professional awards, including SEG’s J. Clarence Karcher Award in 2001 and the EAGE Conrad Schlumberger Award in 2011. He has served SEG in different roles, most recently as the Vice President, Publications. Sergey also serves as the project manager for "Madagascar," an open-source software project for geophysical data analysis.

CREDITS
Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

76: Modern seismic interpretation & what separates humans from machines with Sergey Fomel

In this episode, host Andrew Geary highlights Sid Misra's course on Machine Learning Techniques for Engineering and Characterization. Sid provides a great background on machine learning and the value it brings to geophysics, why the coding language Python is essential (and easy-to-learn), one action you can take today to succeed in the field, and the advantages of virtual courses over in-person events. If you want to understand machine learning better and its impact on geophysics - listen to this episode!

Visit https://seg.org/podcast/Post/8995 for the complete show notes. 

Note: Sid's tour is currently canceled due to COVID-19 coronavirus concerns. Sid and SEG are actively working on a virtual course to take its place. Visit https://seg.org/Education and scroll to the bottom of the page where you can sign up for the latest SEG educational opportunities by email to know when the course is ready! 

BIOGRAPHY
Professor Siddharth Misra is an Associate Professor in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University. Misra holds a Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to that, from 2007 to 2010, he worked as a Wireline Field Engineer in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the USA with Halliburton. He received his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India, in 2007. Recently, he was awarded the prestigious Department of Energy Early Career Award, American Chemical Society New Investigator Award, and SPE Mid-Continent Formation Evaluation Award. His research interest includes subsurface characterization, machine learning, sensing and sensors, and inverse problems.

CREDITS
Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

77: Machine learning and the future of teaching with Siddharth Misra

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with biogeophysics pioneer Estella Atekwana. Their conversation highlights Estella's upcoming virtual course called "Biogeophysics: Exploring Earth’s subsurface biosphere using geophysical approaches." Estella explains how geophysical tools helped develop biogeophysics, why microorganisms play such a key role on the Earth, how her research applies to the search for life on other planets and why flexibility is the key to a successful career.

Visit https://seg.org/podcast for the complete show notes and to register for Dr. Atekwana's virtual course.

BIOGRAPHY
Estella A. Atekwana received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Howard University, Washington DC, and a Ph.D. from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She is currently the Dean of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment at the University of Delaware. 

Her research uses geophysical methodologies to investigate geologic processes spanning the near to deep subsurface and from the micron to the lithospheric scale. She is internationally recognized for her pioneering and interdisciplinary work on biogeophysics which has won numerous best paper awards at international conferences. Her biogeophysics research focuses on investigating the interaction between microorganisms and subsurface geologic media and the application of this knowledge to bioremediation optimization, oil exploration, and as a proxy for biogeochemical processes. Her tectonophysics studies have included integrated geophysical imaging of lithospheric and upper mantle structures to understand the geodynamic processes of continental rift initiation and how preexisting Precambrian structures modulate strain localization leading to faulting and generation of earthquakes. Atekwana has conducted international field-based research in several countries including Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Malawi, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, and Zambia with her students.

Atekwana has been the lead principal investigator of many research projects funded by federal agencies and private companies. She has received several awards including the 2019 Association for Women Geoscientists Outstanding Educator and the 2016 Society of Exploration Geophysicists Outstanding Educator award. She was inducted an Honorary Member of Phi Beta Delta, the Honor Society for International Scholars, and the International Golden Key Honor Society. She has been convener of several workshops and special sessions and an invited speaker at international conferences and research institutions.

Atekwana is a member of several professional organizations including the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, American Geophysical Union, Geological Society of America, Geochemical Society, European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers, and National Association of Black Geoscientists. She has held leadership positions on several of these organizations.

Atekwana is passionate about her students and early-career faculty and is a mentor for women and minorities in the sciences. She has been an advisor of more than 40 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

CREDITS
Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

79: Developing biogeophysics and the search for life with Estella Atekwana

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Sarah Morton Rupert, lead author on "Time-lapse monitoring of stress-field variations within the Lower Permian shales in Kansas" in May's The Leading Edge. 

This conversation is a great primer on the value of near-surface geophysics to scientists and the public. Whether building a house, building a bridge, or remediating an old salt mine, Sarah provides a lot of actionable information in this episode. And if you are wondering the best way to get engaged in the Society, Sarah has you covered there as well.

Visit https://seg.org/podcast/Post/9027 for the complete show notes and links to this month's special section on near-surface imaging and modeling.

BIOGRAPHY
Sarah Morton Rupert currently is a Graduate Research Assistant at the Kansas Geological Survey. Her current work focuses on surface wave seismic methods to investigate how surface waves behave and interact with different geologic and engineering structures. The goal of her research is to better observe geologic materials that may induce engineering failures before they occur and help bridge the gap between the engineering and geophysical communities. She serves as Vice-Chair, Student Program Lead, and Communications Lead for the SEG Near-Surface Geophysics Technical Section.

CREDITS
Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

80: The public and scientific value of near-surface geophysics

How can couples best navigate dual careers? How do you balance work-life throughout a career? How can dual-career couples benefit companies? Eve Sprunt answers these questions and shows how management and individuals alike can truly activate the power of dual-career couples.

This is a wide-ranging conversation that touches on career development, workplace bullying, how professional societies can propel your career in downturns, and much more. This conversation with host Andrew Geary is based on Eve's recent book, A Guide for Dual-Career Couples.

Visit https://seg.org/podcast for the complete show notes and to buy her book.

BIOGRAPHY
Eve Sprunt is the author of two books that deal with the issues impacting those in dual-career couples. Her first book, A Guide for Dual-Career Couples, is based on extensive research she has done on the topic. She felt compelled to write her second book, Dearest Audrey, An Likely Love Story after she found her aunt’s letters that were written in the mid-1950s. Eve is working on a new book that explores the challenges her mother, Ruth Chew, faced trying to combine her career as an artist and later as a children’s book author and illustrator with raising five children.

Eve earned her bachelor of science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At the age of 21, while working on her master’s degree at MIT, she eloped before meeting any of her husband’s family. She went on to become the first woman to receive a doctoral degree from Stanford University in Geophysics in 1977. Her first child, Alexander, was born 9 months after she defended her Ph.D. thesis. Thirteen days later, Eve returned to work as a research associate at Stanford bringing Alexander into her lab. Her daughter was born while she worked for Mobil before there was any maternity leave.

She spent 35 years in the petroleum industry (21 years for Mobil and almost 14 years for Chevron). She was the 2006 President of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and received that society’s highest award, “Honorary Membership.” In 2013, she received the highest award given by the Society of Women Engineers, the SWE Achievement Award.  She acted as vice president of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and served as Past Chair of the SEG Women's Network Committee. She founded the Society of Core Analysts in 1985 and was the 2018 President of the American Geosciences Institute. She authored 23 patents, 28 scholarly papers, and over 150 other articles.

CREDITS
Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

81: Activating the power of dual-career couples with Eve Sprunt

Seismic Soundoff is excited to welcome back Kurt Marfurt. Kurt joined the podcast for our second-ever episode that still remains one of the most popular episodes. 

For this conversation, Kurt highlights the present state of education and training in geophysics, including the value and benefits of virtual education. He shares his thoughts on the most important area of focus for geophysicists right now, why there's a need to increase your quantitative and programming skills and offers his one piece of advice to succeed in geophysics. As with our first conversation, this one is not to be missed. Join host Andrew Geary and Kurt Marfurt on "The present and future of training and education."

Visit https://seg.org/podcast/Post/9056 for the complete show notes and links to Kurt's research articles, books, and courses.

BIOGRAPHY
Kurt J. Marfurt joined The University of Oklahoma in 2007 where he serves as the Frank and Henrietta Schultz Professor of Geophysics within the ConocoPhillips School of Geology and Geophysics. Marfurt’s primary research interest is in the development and calibration of new seismic attributes to aid in seismic processing, seismic interpretation, and reservoir characterization. Recent work has focused on applying coherence, spectral decomposition, structure-oriented filtering, and volumetric curvature to mapping fractures and karst with a particular focus on resource plays.

Marfurt earned a Ph.D. in applied geophysics at Columbia University’s Henry Krumb School of Mines in New York in 1978 where he also taught as an Assistant Professor for four years. He worked 18 years in a wide range of research projects at Amoco’s Tulsa Research Center after which he joined the University of Houston for 8 years as a Professor of Geophysics and the Director of the Allied Geophysics Lab.

He has received the SEG best paper (for coherence), SEG best presentation (for seismic modeling), as a coauthor with Satinder Chopra best SEG poster (one on curvature, one on principal component analysis) and best AAPG technical presentation, and as a coauthor with Roderick Perez Altimar, AAPG/SEG Interpretation best paper (on brittleness) awards. Marfurt also served as the SEG/EAGE Distinguished Short Course Instructor for 2006 and 2018 (on seismic attributes). In addition to teaching and research duties at OU, Marfurt leads short courses on attributes for SEG and AAPG and served as first Editor-in-Chief of the AAPG/SEG journal Interpretation.

CREDITS
Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

82: The present and future of training and education with Kurt Marfurt

Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) represent two of the trendiest and important topics in geophysics right now. In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Aria Abubakar on his 2020 SEG-AAPG Distinguished Lecturer tour on the "Potential and challenges of applying artificial intelligence and machine-learning methods for geoscience."

This conversation explores machine learning and AI from multiple angles. What is the biggest success of AI and machine learning to date in the geosciences? How can geophysicists tailor AI, machine learning, and data analytics algorithms and paradigms to meet the specific properties of geoscience data? How close are we to translating modern workflows from proof-of-concept works to scalable commercial products?

If you are new to these topics or want to hear the latest news in this essential area of knowledge, Aria will be your guide for our current understanding, as well as the future possibilities for machine learning and AI.

Visit https://seg.org/podcast/Post/9101 for the complete show notes and the link to Aria's upcoming lecture tour.

BIOGRAPHY
Aria Abubakar was born in Bandung, Indonesia. He received an M.Sc. degree (Cum Laude) in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. degree (Cum Laude) in technical sciences, both from the Delft University of Technology, in 1997, and 2000, respectively. After graduation, he worked as a researcher with the Laboratory of Electromagnetic Research at the Delft University of Technology. He joined Schlumberger-Doll Research in Ridgefield, CT in 2003, and his last position there was a scientific advisor and the manager of the Multi-Physics Modeling and Inversion Program. From 2013 until mid-2017, he was the Interpretation Engineering manager and scientific advisor at Schlumberger Houston Formation Evaluation in Sugar Land, TX. From mid-2017 until 2019, he was Data Analytics program manager and scientific advisor for the Software Technology based in Houston, TX.

Aria is currently the Head of Data Science for the Schlumberger Exploration and Field Development Platform. His main responsibility is to oversee and coordinate the utilization of machine-learning and data-analytics technology for exploration and field development applications throughout Schlumberger. He is currently an Associate Editor of GEOPHYSICS and IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine. He was the 2014 SEG North America Honorary Lecturer. 

Aria holds 30 U.S. patents/patent applications and has published five book/book chapters, more than 90 scientific articles in journals, 200 conference proceedings papers, and 60 conference abstracts. He also has presented more than 300 invited and contributed talks in international conferences, institutes, and universities.

CREDITS
Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

86: Applying machine learning and AI to the geosciences

Staying up to date on the latest techniques and technology is a key part of being a geophysicist. In this episode, Patricia de Lugão provides a helpful analysis of the benefits and uses of magnetotellurics (MT), based on her upcoming 2020 Honorary Lecturer (Latin America) tour called "Environment-friendly exploration using magnetotellurics."

Patricia highlights the role of MT in geophysics and mining, discusses the advantages of this method over seismic, and spotlights how MT is ready to play a major role in renewable energy. If you are a student considering your specialization, early-career wanting to stay up to date on the latest techniques, or simply like to know more about a promising tool for the future, then push play on this episode.

Visit https://seg.org/podcast/Post/9102/ for the complete show notes and the link to Patricia's upcoming lecture tour.

BIOGRAPHY
Patricia de Lugão received a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental engineering and water resources from the University of South Carolina in 1988, a master’s degree in geophysics from the Observatório Nacional in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of Utah in 1997. At Observatório Nacional, she worked with Sergio Fontes on the acquisition, processing, and modeling of magnetotelluric data from the Recôncavo Basin, Brazil. During her Ph.D. studies at the University of Utah, de Lugão had the good fortune to work with Phil Wannamaker and Michael Zhdanov on the development of modeling and inversion algorithms for magnetotellurics. 

After her Ph.D., de Lugão worked in the research department at Western Atlas in Houston with Kurt-Martin Strack, where she applied her knowledge in modeling and inversion to the development of algorithms for array borehole tools. In the Geosignal division of Western Atlas, Patricia worked with Lee Bell on two- and three-dimensional refraction tomography techniques for statics correction and initial velocity model for prestack depth migration of seismic data from the foothills of South America to the Gulf of Mexico. 

In 2000, de Lugão moved to Brazil and accepted a position with Landmark, working with the support group for the interpretation of seismic data, a shift from her previous work. In 2003, de Lugão founded Strataimage Consultoria Ltda, foreseeing an interest in the new marine electromagnetic techniques that were being developed. From 2003 to 2006, Strataimage brought to Brazil companies such as AGO (marine controlled-source electromagnetics) working with Arnold Orange and Oedegaard (elastic inversion) working with David Davies. In 2008, she participated in the first marine magnetotelluric survey offshore Brazil, on the Santos Basin. Dr. de Lugão was instrumental in helping establish electromagnetic methods onshore and offshore in Brazil, leading most of the recent commercial onshore surveys in that country.

CREDITS
Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

87: Exploring a seismic alternative and its role for a renewable future

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Roberto Fainstein on Southeast Asia, the featured special section in August's The Leading Edge. 

Roberto showcases his vast knowledge of this region of the world while highlighting the geological and geophysical historical developments in this region. Through the papers in this special section, he also outlines the fascinating research path ahead. If you are unfamiliar with the geophysical history of Southeast Asia or want to hear the latest research and future for this important region, this episode has you covered.

Visit https://seg.org/podcast/Post/9107 for the complete show notes and links to this month's special section on Southeast Asia.

BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Roberto Fainstein is a Geophysics Advisor & SEG Emeritus with more than 40 years of international experience in the oil business, mainly with Petrobras S.A., Atlantic Richfield International, and Schlumberger Limited. His career in Petrobras comprised resistivity and seismic exploration in the Brazilian jungles (five years) and several years at sea during the very beginning of offshore exploration. He was Chief Geophysicist of the REMAC Project, the first comprehensive survey of the entire Brazilian Continental Margin (1972-1975). At that time through his work at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution he published the first suite of magnetic maps for all basins offshore Brazil. More recently, upon returning to Brazil he was responsible for the design and implementation of the 2D/3D Brazil 99/2000 regional, grid consistent, multi-client seismic programs that led to the significant deep-water discoveries both in the post-salt and pre-salt sequences.

Prior to the recent deep-water program in Brazil, he had contributed to many of the oil and gas discoveries in Southwest Asia, the Northwest Java Sea, and the East Java Sea. He was also particularly involved in the finding and development of the Pagerungan Gas Field (the largest domestic gas provider of Indonesia) while with Atlantic Richfield International. With Schlumberger (Geco-Prakla) he has designed and implemented the still very marketable Southeast Asia multi-client portfolio of WesternGeco that led to discoveries in the Natuna Sea and to wildcat discoveries in deep-water of the Arafura Sea and South Irian Jaya in the eastern Sunda Archipelago, contributed with many publications and co-authored the Seismic Atlas of Southeast Asia and Australia.

After the mapping effort of the Brazilian 99/2000 program and in view of the syn-rift interpretation achieved with the re-processed legacy PSDM, he accurately predicted, four years in advance of the Tupi well, the cluster of discoveries in the pre-salt of the North Santos Basin and South Campos Basin. This major achievement was based upon the regional deep-water mapping assessment of these basins as part of the Brazil 99/2000 program. Also, his regional mapping of the North Campos Basin led to multiple discoveries in the post-salt in a region now known as the "Whale Park."

CREDITS
Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

88: The historical development and future for Southeast Asia

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Steve Sloan on smart city geophysics, the featured special section in September's The Leading Edge.

Steve highlights the wide array of papers highlighting the tools and techniques used to achieve the best results in less than ideal environments. We discuss the importance of geophysics in urban settings, how geophysics is uniquely suited to work in these environments, and the benefits afforded geophysicists in high-noise surroundings. We also discuss the role of privacy in obtaining data in urban settings. This is a great primer on the near-surface and its value in major population areas.

Visit https://seg.org/podcast for the complete show notes and links to this month's special section on smart city geophysics.

BIOGRAPHY
Steve Sloan is a Research Geophysicist at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center in the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He specializes in near-surface seismology, including high-resolution shallow seismic reflection, refraction tomography, and surface wave methods. His research has focused on the application of geophysical methods to defense problems and geophysical characterization of the shallow subsurface in austere environments around the world.

Steve received a B.S. in geology from Millsaps College (2003), and an M.S. (2005) and Ph.D. (2008, with Honors) in geology with a geophysics emphasis from The University of Kansas. He currently serves as the Past Chair of the SEG Near-Surface Geophysics Technical Section and is a member of the SEG Council and the Editorial Board of The Leading Edge. 

CREDITS
Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary at 51 features, LLC. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Ted Bakamjian, Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

89: Geophysics tools and techniques in high-noise environments

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with author Vladimir Grechka on his latest book, Anisotropy and Microseismics: Theory and Practice.

Vladimir highlights why anisotropy and microseismics are a great pairing, how the shift from P-waves to shear waves changed the industry, and reflects on what we will find in seismology books in the next decade. 

Each chapter of the book starts with a question, followed by what's exciting about it, where the mystery might lie, and what could be the potential value of answering the question. Vladimir shares what question he was most excited to explore and what has yet to be fully answered. This is a conversation not to miss!

Visit https://seg.org/podcast for the complete show notes.

BIOGRAPHY
Vladimir Grechka received an MSc degree (1984) in geophysical exploration from Novosibirsk State University, Russia, and a Ph.D. (1990) in geophysics from the Institute of Geophysics, Novosibirsk, Russia. He worked in the same institute from 1984 to 1994 as a research scientist. He was a graduate student at the University of Texas at Dallas from 1994 to 1995. Then, Vladimir joined the department of Geophysics at Colorado School of Mines, where he was an associate research professor and a co-leader of the Center for Wave Phenomena. 

From 2001 to 2012, Vladimir was a senior staﬀ geophysicist at Shell, and from 2012 to 2019 a senior technical consultant at Marathon Oil. Since 2019, Vladimir has been a senior adviser at Borehole Seismic, focusing on novel uses of microseismic and VSP for reservoir characterization. He received the East European Award from the European Geophysical Society (1992), the J. Clarence Karcher Award (1997) from SEG, Honorable Recognition Award from EAGE (2010), and the Best Paper in The Leading Edge Award (2013) from SEG. Vladimir teaches courses on seismic anisotropy for SEG and EAGE.

BOOK ABSTRACT
Downhole microseismic monitoring of stimulation and production of unconventional reservoirs has resulted in renewed industry interest in seismic anisotropy. This occurred not only because anisotropy of hydrocarbon-bearing shales is among the strongest in rocks but also because of downhole microseismics shifts the focus from the standard exploration of P-waves to shear waves. The consequences of the difference in wave type are profound for geophysicists because everyone involved – from theoreticians to developers and users of microseismic data-processing software – must be aware of shear-wave splitting, singularities, and multivalued wavefronts, which have been largely irrelevant for P-waves propagating in relatively simple geologic settings. 

Anisotropy and Microseismics leads readers on a path of discovery of rarely examined wave phenomena and their possible usage. Most of the chapters begin by formulating a question, followed by explanations of what is exciting about it, where the mystery might lie, and what could be the potential value of answering the question. Importantly, the findings entail useful applications, as showcased by the unmistakably practical flavor of the chapters on microseismic event location, moment tensor inversion, and imaging. As an investigation of microseismic methodologies and techniques is conducted, it often yields unexpected results.

CREDITS
Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary at 51 features, LLC. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Ted Bakamjian, Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

93: Practical and useful applications for microseismics with Vladimir Grechka

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Mehdi Aharchaou on machine learning and AI, the featured special section in October's The Leading Edge.

Mehdi shares his expertise in machine learning as we explore the potential and limitations of this cutting edge research. Mehdi highlights how these papers can improve the industry and why he views explainable AI and machine learning as the key to the future. He also explains why he believes the industry needs to do more to adopt and adjust to the digital revolution. This conversation covers important ground essential for all geophysicists and businesses - do not miss it!

Visit https://seg.org/podcast for the complete show notes and links to this month's special section on smart city geophysics.

BIOGRAPHY
Mehdi Aharchaou is a research geophysicist at ExxonMobil. During his 7 years with the company, he has worked on various cutting-edge signal processing and inversion technologies, on topics such as deghosting, noise suppression, Q compensation, source designature, trace interpolation, sparse Radon and multiple attenuation; and he has presented on some of these topics at the SEG. 

Prior to joining the oil and gas industry, he graduated from Georgia Tech, Rice University and INP-ENSEEIHT (Toulouse, France) with three Masters degrees in Geophysics and Electrical Engineering, and he worked on multiple real-world problems in oceanography, borehole geophysics, in addition to earthquake and exploration seismology. His interests lie in the processing, imaging, and inversion of geophysical data. Recently, his interests evolved towards the integration of machine learning and artificial intelligence to automate the geophysical exploration workflow.

CREDITS
Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary at 51 features, LLC. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Ted Bakamjian, Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

94: The case to adjust quicker to machine learning for geophysics

In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Ariel Lellouch and Tieyuan Zhu on distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), the featured special section in November's The Leading Edge.

Ariel and Tieyuan highlight new developments in algorithms impacting microseismic, new findings for hydraulic fracturing, and discuss their disagreement for the current rate the geophysics industry is adopting and utilizing DAS. This is an exciting conversation on technology that has a wide range of applications for geophysics. Hear the latest in research in 20 minutes!

Visit https://seg.org/podcast for the complete show notes and links to this month's special section on smart city geophysics.

BIOGRAPHIES
Ariel Lellouch is a research geoscientist and post-doc at Stanford Exploration Project. He is passionate about seismic wave propagation, and more importantly, what we can infer from these waves regarding subsurface properties. Currently, he's working on applications of DAS data to all sorts of geophysical problems: properties of guided waves, earthquake seismology, microseismic monitoring, and more.

Tieyuan Zhu obtained a Bachelor's degree from China University of Geosciences (2005) and an M.S. degree from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2008) and a Ph.D. degree in Geophysics from Stanford University (2014). His main research interests are in seismic attenuation, true-amplitude seismic imaging and inversion, time-reversal theory, and carbon dioxide monitoring. He is a recipient of a Jackson Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship (2014-2016) from the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a recipient of the award of Best Paper Presented by a student at the SEG 2013 and the J. Clarence Karcher Award from SEG 2018.

CREDITS
Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary at 51 features, LLC. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Ted Bakamjian, Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

95: Cutting edge methods to utilize distributed acoustic sensing

SEG President-Elect Anna Shaughnessy joins the podcast to highlight her 2020 Honorary Lecturer tour, "Developing a successful career in geophysics today."

In this timely discussion, Anna shares her insights on navigating your career in a transitional industry, how to stay relevant no matter your discipline, actions to take to set up for a successful career, and offers the key to choosing your career field.

It doesn't matter if you are a student, early career, or experiencing a career transition, Anna's valuable perspective will offer support and guidance for your professional path.

Visit https://seg.org/podcast for the complete show notes and the link to Anna's upcoming lecture tour.

BIOGRAPHY
Anna Shaughnessy received her undergraduate from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and her MSc. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her industry career started as a geophysical interpreter and quickly moved to management of technical teams within the energy industry. She has held leadership roles in exploration and advanced technology at Mobil, Saudi Aramco, Texaco, and Kerr-McGee. After 30 years in the energy industry, she transitioned to the academic sector. In 2011, she became the executive director of MIT’s Earth Resources Laboratory (ERL). She retired from ERL in 2018 and is currently a consultant. Shaughnessy and her husband, Dan, are both geophysicists and have lived and worked in the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Scandinavia. They successfully managed six relocations with employment opportunities for both in each new location.

Currently, Shaughnessy is the vice-chair of the SEG Foundation Board (SEGF). The SEGF supports many of the SEG student programs and actively raises funds for existing and future programs. She also has served on many SEG teams including as secretary/treasurer for the Executive committee and on the Women’s Network Committee. In 2019, Shaughnessy acted as interim executive director for SEG for three months while SEG was searching for a new leader. Mentoring young scientists have been a life-long passion for Shaughnessy. She thrives on sharing her enthusiasm for science and technology and guiding others in directions that suit their particular talents and interests. Her wide work experience has offered her a great appreciation of geophysics’ role during the past 40 years. Her unique background and experience provide her with unusual insights into the role of applied geophysics in industry, academia, and society today and in years to come.

CREDITS
Original music by Zach Bridges.

This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Thank you to the SEG podcast team: Ted Bakamjian, Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney.

geophysics

Yaser Alashloo