January 2008 Issue
STUDENT COLUMN
Teamwork Unites Geoscience Students
BY MARK JERONCIC
& LEATINA WOOD
University of Alberta Student Columnists (Geosciences)
Editor’s Note: Mark Jeroncic and Leatina Wood, in their fourth years in geophysics, are the new geoscience student columnists from the University of Alberta. Both are on the executive of the Geophysics Undergraduate Society at the university — Mark as president, Leatina as vice-president — and both are APEGGA student members through ASAP, the APEGGA Student Advantage Program.
You may have been wondering about the lack of geoscience news being reported from the University of Alberta this academic term. No, none of the students decided to run away and join the circus, although we might have considered it at times. Instead, the student geoscience community has been busy planning some great events.
First, the Geophysics Undergraduate Society has combined with the P.S. Warren Geological Society to host the 2008 Western Inter-University Geoscience Conference. We call it WIUGC, pronounced woo-gick.
This student-run conference brings together undergraduate students, graduate students and industry for three days in January to celebrate the student geoscience presence in Western Canada.
The event takes place Jan. 3 to 5 at the Shaw Conference Centre and the Courtyard by Marriott in Edmonton. The forum allows students to present research, learn about the geoscience role in Canadian industry, and meet fellow students from the Pacific Ocean to Hudson’s Bay.
Two speakers to look forward to are APEGGA President-Elect Dr. Gordon Williams, P.Geol., who was the founding president of the Canadian Council of Professional Geoscientists, and the U of A’s Dr. George Pemberton, current Canada Research Chair in Petroleum Geology. The thoughts and experiences these two share will be invaluable to delegates, and we are fortunate to have them at the conference.
Field trips to a coal mine west of Edmonton and to the Canadian Petroleum Discovery Centre in Devon will surely provide an interesting time for all.
It’s a Brand New Day
Along with the planning of WIUGC, a new Alberta Universities Geoscience Day is
in the works for February. The geophysics and geology clubs from the University
of Alberta and the University of Calgary have teamed up with APEGGA, the Canadian
Society of Exploration Geophysicists and the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists
to put on the event, which will have Alberta geoscience students meet industry
representatives and attend short-courses on various topics.
This Calgary event will certainly give U of A students many opportunities to learn of the petroleum industry, which they are not generally exposed to in Edmonton.
With two major events coming up in the next couple of months, neither university geoscience society has stopped looking ahead and staying busy. Both societies have been grilling up a storm lately with fundraising barbeques, as well as planning various social activities.
The strong pull of the Rockies has prompted both societies to plan their annual
ski trips.
Over the last year, the University of Alberta Geophysics Undergraduate Society
has been trying to renew its campus presence. A new, hip and styling logo, a
surplus of mugs to sell, and a larger amount of events have increased enrolment.
As the president and vice-president of the society, we hope to enrich the university experience for our fellow geophysics students.
As for P.S. Warren, the current executive keeps hammering out events for members, including, most recently, the annual Christmas Party. President and vice-president are Dale Nisbet and Emily Miller, an APEGGA university student member.
With all the activities in the near future, the geoscience community at the
University of Alberta is alive, vibrant, and ready to help make great things
happen for students in the coming months.