Research Committee
Research Committee
Overview
The purpose of the committee is to improve communication among earth scientists interested in applied research, promote the advancement of science and technology in the applied geoscience community, and disseminate information on advances in exploration and exploitation geophysics.
Objectives
III.25.C.1. Research Committee Workshops
Proposals for Committee workshops should be submitted to the Board for approval through the Committee's Board liaison. The following guidelines have been established for all workshops:
• Workshops are to be flexible in subject matter and allow for extensive interchange between speakers and audience.
• Workshops are to be self-supporting.
• SEG retains first right-of-refusal for publication of all workshop proceedings and any other publication based on the workshop program.
• Workshops held in conjunction with the SEG Technical Meeting and Exhibition are subject to approval of the General Chair and will be scheduled at a time not in conflict with regular technical sessions. Notification of time and place will be included in the Official Program Booklet and subject matter described in the Expanded Abstracts Booklet.
III.25.C.1.a. SEG Research Workshop
III.25.C.1.a.i. Guidelines for Participants
The SEG Research Workshop shall encompass the total range of technical subjects covered by the SEG Research Committee. The objective of the SEG Research Workshop can be paraphrased from that of the Gordon Research Conference after which it is patterned. Each workshop shall attempt to stimulate thought and accelerate the research of technology in a selected portion of the technical spectrum covered by the Society’s Research Committee.
This objective is consistent with the overall goal of the Society’s programs to maximize the dissemination of technical information through meetings and publications dealing with the recovery of energy and mineral resources, and to promote synergism among the geoscience disciplines of geophysics, geology, petrophysics and the discipline of petroleum engineering.
The workshop shall seek not only to educate through the dissemination of technical information, but also to stimulate discussion and innovation, both during and subsequent to the forums.
One of the objectives of this type of meeting is to promote maximum discussion on a minimum of prepared presentation; maximum information on new advances and a minimum review of established technology. Reporting of new, unpublished and incomplete results is encouraged. Another objective is to provide a workshop for communication among knowledgeable persons from industrial, governmental, and academic institutions; members of different disciplines working in related areas; and groups having diverse experience and geographical backgrounds.
III.25.C.1.a.ii. Criteria for Achieving Objectives
The guiding principle to be employed in formulating criteria for achieving the objectives of the SEG Research Workshop is that any reasonable method that will promote completely free and effective discussion among the participants should be considered.
III.25.C.1.a.iii. Topic Selection
The range of topics for the SEG Research Workshop shall encompass the technological coverage of the SEG Research Committee. The topic for any given SEG Research Workshop should be of sufficiently wide interest to include contributions from industry, government, and academia, and be both interdisciplinary and global in scope. A forum topic should be broad (or narrow) enough that a comprehensive, in-depth discussion of the subject matter is accomplished during the time period allotted for the forum.
Participants at each forum shall also be asked to recommend future topics by completing an evaluation questionnaire, including such a question. Topics can also be proposed by any person at any time to the SEG or to the Chair, Research Committee. These topics shall also be collected and collated by SEG Business Office and provided to the committee at the SEG Annual Meeting.
III.25.C.1.a.iv. Documentation
Applicants for an SEG Research Workshop should recognize that the public interest is best served by some limitation on documentation, if such limitation results in an increased implementation of the technology developed and interchanged in the workshop. Extensive note taking is discouraged. Publication of information disclosed at an SEG Research Workshop is prohibited without written approval from the originator. (The originator is free and is encouraged to publish the originator’s own contribution.)
III.25.C.1.a.v. Meeting Format
The SEG Research Workshop should normally be held from Monday morning until Friday noon with sessions scheduled in the morning and evening. Breaks should be provided midway through the morning, afternoon and evening sessions. Afternoons should be available for rest, and individual (or small group) discussions. Neither organized recreation nor family activities should be permitted to detract from discussion opportunities.
The Workshop Chair should open the meeting on the first morning by introducing representatives from the SEG. The Chair should then set the stage for the Technical Program. Steering Committee members shall ordinarily serve as session chairs.
Scheduled speakers (no more than two or three per morning, afternoon or evening sessions) may summarize and/or present new information on a particular subject. Their prime function should be that of a discussion leader – not a lecturer. Scheduled talks should be informal, with minimum use of visual aids. The scheduled talks should take up no more than one hour of the session (leaving more than two hours per session for discussion.) Discussion should take place throughout the scheduled talks, rather than afterward, to stimulate more effective communication. Participants should be advised in advance that open discussion is encouraged at any time.
Participants should also be encouraged to contact the Chair for possible short, unscheduled contributions. The Chair may elect to allow several unscheduled presentations to be made during one of the afternoons. The sessions should be controlled to prevent the introduction of “sales pitches” or the domination of a session by any one person, clique or faction.
The Steering Committee should consider innovative methods for encouraging discussion from the participants (who have been selected for their expertise on the subject providing a balance from academia, government, industry, different disciplines, etc.). Consideration should be given to such methods as forming small groups that will discuss some facet of the forum topic in a workshop context and then report back to the forum. Controversial proposals might be introduced purposefully to stimulate forceful, in-depth communication among the participants.
Each workshop participant shall be requested to complete an evaluation questionnaire. The questionnaire is to be completed and handed to the chair of the forum before leaving the meeting site.
III.25.C.1.b. Technical Program
III.25.C.1.b.i. Invited Speaker’s Expense
The payment of expenses for an invited speaker at the Research Workshop is the sole responsibility of the speaker.
III.25.C.1.b.ii. Technical Program Schedule
Technical sessions should be scheduled Monday morning through the last day of the meeting. The sessions can run concurrently or hold one general session.
III.25.C.1.b.iii. Starting Times for Papers in Concurrent Sessions
Technical papers in concurrent sessions shall commence at the same time (thus requiring papers to be approximately the same length) and session chairs shall be instructed that starting times for all papers must be strictly enforced.
III.25.C.1.b.iv. Program Responsibilities
The Organizing Chair shall be responsible for the oversight of all sessions during the meeting. It is the responsibility of the Organizing Chair or the Technical Chair to select two session chairs for each session.
III.25.C.1.b.v. Content
The sessions are to be flexible as to subject matter and should encourage extensive interchange between the speakers and the attendees. One of the most valuable attractions of the Research Workshop is the exchange of current information.
III.25.C.1.b.vi. Facilities
The SEG Business Office will arrange the Meetings. First-class facilities will be provided to comfortably accommodate the anticipated attendance with suitable room layout and up-to-date projection and sound system equipment. The Organizing Chair is responsible for providing a list of all necessary equipment to the SEG Business Office Meetings Coordinator no less than thirty (30) days prior to the meeting.
III.25.C.1.b.vii. Duties and Responsibilities
Approval by the Organizing Chair is required for all matters of policy and major substance related to the Research Workshop.
SEG Meetings Coordinator is responsible in all areas of negotiations and contractual and other arrangements with hotels, conference centers and service organizations (e.g., caterers, printers, audiovisual contractors, entertainment, transportation, etc.) The SEG Meetings Coordinator is also responsible for communicating all instructions and orders to hotels, conference centers and service organizations.
Composition and Membership
The committee is led by a Chair appointed or reappointed annually by the President. The Chair, in order to accomplish the objectives of the committee, may select committee members who are experts in their professional fields. The terms are approximately one year, beginning and ending at the close of SEG's Annual Meeting. To provide continuity on committee projects, the Chair and committee members may be reappointed for additional one-year terms. The SEG President and President-Elect (or their designates) are ex-officio members.
At the time of appointment (or shortly thereafter), the newly appointed Committee Chair shall name a Committee Vice Chair. The Chair may conduct an election within the committee membership to inform the appointment of the Vice Chair. The Vice Chair shall act as Chair in the absence or incapacity of the Chair and shall be recommended to the President for appointment as Chair for the following term.
Subcommittees may be formed from time to time to help facilitate accomplishing important tasks. Each such Subcommittee shall have a Chair who is a member of the
SEG Research Committee, and shall endure as long as it is deemed useful by the Committee. However, such Subcommittees may have members who are not necessarily members of the SEG Research Committee or of the SEG.
The Chair of the Research Committee should select an Organizing Chair for the Research Workshop one and a half (1-1/2) years before the meeting. The Organizing Chair should pick the Organizing Committee at least one year before the meeting. The Organizing Chair may name as many members to serve on the committee as necessary to accomplish the objectives of the committee. It may be helpful to put people in charge of the different areas of organization such as technical program and site selection.
After the Committee Chair appoints the Organizing Chair, the SEG Business Office will provide the Organizing Chair with a copy of the Procedures Manual pertaining to the meeting to be organized. It is important for the Organizing Committee Chair to review the Procedures Manual.
Current Leadership (2026–2027):
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Chair | Erkan Ay |
| Board Liaison | Aiman M. Bakhorji |
| Staff Liaison | Annabella Betancourt |
Policy and Procedures
The official SEG Policy and Procedures Manual section for this committee can be accessed here: → SEG Policy and Procedures Manual
Annual Reports
Below are recent annual reports submitted to the SEG Board:
- {2024 Report}
- 2025 Report
Meetings
The Committee may meet at any time upon call by the Committee Chair. One meeting should be held in good time to discharge its tasks for the next Annual Meeting. If it is desirable to schedule a meeting during the Society’s Annual Meeting, the Chair should request the SEG Business Office to schedule a meeting time and place. The Committee may hold a dinner at the Society’s Annual Meeting with the arrangements, registration, and fee collections handled by the SEG Business Office. This dinner would normally occur on Thursday after the start of the Workshops.
If it is desirable to schedule a meeting during the Annual Meeting of the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE), the Chair should request the EAGE Business Office to schedule a meeting time and place. At the Chair’s discretion, the Chair may invite non-member guests to any meeting. While the Business Office does not ordinarily assist in scheduling any additional meetings called by the Chair, the Executive Director should be informed of meetings scheduled throughout the year.
Any significant activities of the committee should be reported in summary form to the Board liaison officer and to the Business Office.
Resources and Links
Contact
For questions or to express interest in volunteering for this committee, please contact: [email protected]