230: Celebrating Sven - A Legacy of Innovation and Mentorship in Geophysics

"Sven showed us that the goal of a presentation is to transfer knowledge and insight, not to show people how smart you are." In this heartfelt episode, we honor the legacy of Sven Treitel, a beloved figure in geophysics and at SEG. Kurt Marfurt and Sam Gray join host Andrew Geary to reflect on Sven's profound impact on their work and the field. In this episode, we talk about: > How a 25 cents coffee subsidy proved an invaluable investment for Amoco > The power and usefulness of the "chicken test" > How the gaming and AI industry of today relates to the oil and gas industry > The groundbreaking contributions of Sven and Enders Robinson, particularly in digital signal processing > Sven's approach to making complex concepts accessible and understandable > Sven's dedication to professional societies and his mentorship beyond Amoco > How Sven's international background shaped his perspectives and interactions > The humor and humility that made Sven a beloved mentor and colleague Listeners will gain a deep appreciation for Sven's lasting contributions to geophysics and his ability to bridge the gap between research and practical application. This episode is a tribute to a geophysical giant whose influence will be felt for generations. GUEST BIOS Kurt J. Marfurt is the recipient of SEG’s highest honor, the Maurice Ewing Medal, awarded to a person deserving of special recognition for making major contributions to the advancement of the science and profession of exploration geophysics. Marfurt is a remarkably productive geophysicist, author, and educator with a distinguished career in academia and the oil and gas industry. After completing his Ph.D. in applied geophysics at Columbia University in 1978 and teaching there, he joined the Amoco Research Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as a research geophysicist. During his tenure at Amoco, Marfurt made significant contributions to several processes and patents, particularly the development of seismic attributes. In 1999, Marfurt joined the faculty at the University of Houston, where he served as director of the Allied Geophysical Laboratories. He continued researching seismic imaging, interpretation, and data simulation, notably generating well-used synthetic data sets for the Marmousi model. In 2007, Marfurt joined the faculty of the University of Oklahoma, where he served as the Shultz Professor of Geophysics and is now professor emeritus. He has been involved with SEG as a short course instructor, associate editor of GEOPHYSICS, editor-in-chief of Interpretation, director at large on the SEG Board of Directors, and coauthor of more than 800 papers and abstracts. Samuel Gray received a PhD in Mathematics in 1978, and he joined the oil and gas industry in 1982 at Amoco's Research Lab in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he worked on seismic imaging, amplitude analysis, and velocity estimation problems. He moved to Amoco Canada in 1994, where the near surface humbled him. He joined Veritas (now CGGVeritas) in 1999. Gray has published and presented widely and has won awards for Best Paper in Geophysics and The Leading Edge, Best Presentation at SEG and CSEG meetings, and Honorable Mention for Best Paper in Geophysics. He has also served several times as an Associate Editor of Geophysics. In 2010, he received the SEG's Reginald Fessenden Award for his work on both the theoretical and practical sides of imaging. He won the SEG Maurice Ewing Medal in 2017. Sam retired as Senior Researcher, Subsurface Imaging, CGG (now Viridien). LINKS * Visit https://seg.org/podcasts/episode-230-celebrating-sven-a-legacy-of-innovation-and-mentorship-in-geophysics/ for links to Sven's Memorial in TLE, his video interview, the complete interview transcript, and more. SHOW CREDITS Andrew Geary at TreasureMint hosted, edited and produced this episode. The SEG podcast team comprises Jennifer Cobb, Kathy Gamble, and Ally McGinnis.