60: The power and limitations of machine learning and data
In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Simon Shaw and Arvind Sharma on July's The Leading Edge that highlights machine learning applications. Simon and Arvind discuss what problems machine learning successfully solves, the requirements and limitations of machine learning, what the next five years hold for the topic, and more. Visit https://seg.org/podcast for links to July's special section. Interviewee biographies Dr. Arvind Sharma is VP of Data and Analytics at TGS. In this role, he is responsible for Machine Learning initiatives as well as broader Digital transformation. He has over 10 years of experience in various E&P and software related work. Arvind has bachelors and masters degrees in Applied Geology and Exploration Geophysics, respectively from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur. He has a Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in Geophysics. Simon Shaw, Principal Geophysicist for ConocoPhillips Company, has more than 20 years’ experience in seismic data processing and geophysical research. He is currently responsible for QA/QC of 3D and 4D seismic imaging projects, and technology development involving the use of machine learning to solve subsurface problems. He holds a B.Eng. Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College, London (1994), M.S. Applied Ocean Science from the University of Delaware (1997) and a Ph.D. in Geophysics from the University of Houston (2005). Simon received the J. Clarence Karcher Award from the SEG in 2005 for his research into depth imaging using inverse scattering. Editor's note: Due to Dr. Arvind Sharma's recording location, he is hard to understand at times. Please continue to listen as his contributions to this discussion are invaluable. Credits Interview: Simon Shaw, Arvind Sharma Original music by Zach Bridges. This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Special thanks to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Apple Podcasts to be the first to know about new episodes!
11 Juli 201917min
59: Tunnels to drones to 12th century churches - the depth of near-surface geophysics
In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Adam Mangel on June's The Leading Edge highlighting near-surface geophysics. Adam explains the reasons to study the near surface, why it applies to a wide-range of professionals, the practical applications for the field, and why more students should look to near-surface geophysics for their future. Visit https://seg.org/podcast for links to June's special section and to learn more about the SEG Near-Surface Geophysics Technical Section. Interviewee biography Adam Mangel is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Colorado School of Mines. He has a B.S. in Geology with a minor in Mathematics from the University at Buffalo and an M.S. in Hydrogeology and a PhD in Environmental Engineering, both from Clemson University. His current research largely focuses on Hydrogeophysics, i.e. using geophysical methods to study hydrologic processes. Adam is driven to improve the world's efficacy as stewards of valuable water resources given the threats of climate change to clean water resources compounded by the present scarcity of this vital resource. He also brews his own beer, grows his own food, and works on motorcycles. Credits Interview: Adam Mangel Original music by Zach Bridges. This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Special thanks to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Apple Podcasts to be the first to know about new episodes!
27 Juni 201919min
58: Understanding signals & The Beatles' connection to Fourier Analysis
In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Michael Burianyk on his new book, Understanding Signals: Basic waveform analysis from a geophysical perspective. In this concise and informative book, Michael walks the reader through one of the foundational principles of geophysics in a way all readers can benefit. This book will help inform all aspects of the field - from geologists to programmers to managers to experienced geophysicists. And they also discuss how Fourier Analysis and The Beatles relate. You will want to hear this one. To read Michael's book, visit https://seg.org/Shop. Interviewee biography Michael Burianyk was born and raised on the Canadian Prairies. He graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a BSc in physics and geophysics, and later received from the same institution an MSc in geological sciences, writing his thesis on seismic data he helped collect on an Arctic ice station. Next, he earned a PhD in geophysics from the University of Alberta, studying the crust and lithosphere of western Canada, planning and participating in several LITHOPROBE field programs. After spending time in academic research, he moved to the petroleum industry where he gained expertise in amplitude vs. offset methods, seismic inversion, rock physics, and seismic petrophysics with Core Labs and later Shell Canada. He lived in The Netherlands for a decade, working with Shell’s R&D group in gravity and magnetics and later in their software development division as a geoscience subject matter expert directing the development of software applications and creating associated workflows for gravity and magnetics, EM, QI seismic, seismic balancing, surface gridding, and geodetics. Currently, he lives in France, creating geophysical educational material and pursuing other writing projects. Credits Interview: Michael Burianyk 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. Special thanks to Susan Stamm. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Apple Podcasts to be the first to know about new episodes!
13 Juni 201917min
57: Building canals - how science and friendship changed a town
On this episode of Seismic Soundoff, we start a journey with a team of scientists partnering with a former Inca city in Perú. This small, rural village of 4,000 people in Zurite, Perú all rely on agriculture, but the strong, seasonal climate limits their livelihood six months of the year. Jasper Oshun, project manager for this Geoscientists Without Borders team, shares a unique history with Zurite that goes back 15 years. His local knowledge, along with his GWB team's expertise and the community's knowledge and effort, will work to build a reservoir and irrigation canal network that will benefit 120 farmers. But their work seeks to not only directly impact these families, but support each generation of Zuritaneos that come after and contribute to the scientific understanding that will benefit the world. For photos and aerial footage of Zurite, visit https://seg.org/podcast. Geoscientists Without Borders® 2018 marked the ten-year anniversary of the SEG Foundation’s Geoscientists Without Borders® program. The program uses the specialized knowledge and technical skills of geoscientists to mitigate natural hazards by connecting universities and industries with local communities. To support this Zurite project and others like it, please consider making a donation to GWB. As a special consideration to our listeners, the SEG Foundation currently has GWB Matching Funds available. Double your impact today by making a donation. Learn more at https://seg.org/podcast. Sponsor Schlumberger strives to be a unifying force for social and environmental stewardship, and engages in philanthropic activities that reflect the company’s values. As the founding sponsor of Geoscientists Without Borders®, Schlumberger believes in the science of geophysics to effect positive changes in communities facing environmental hardship and natural hazards. Credits Interviews: Jasper Oshun, Margaret Lang, Kristina Keating, Olivia Helprin, Wyeth Wunderlich, Tomás Ruiz López Music in the episode courtesy of Epidemic Sound. This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Special thanks to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ashley Rodriguez, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney with support from Linda Ford and Katie Burk. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Apple Podcasts to be the first to know about new episodes. And please share this podcast with a friend, colleague, or manager that would enjoy hearing this show. Your recommendation is the single best action you can take on behalf of SEG's podcast.
23 Maj 201919min
56: Understanding modern rock physics and the future for scientific experiments
In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Joel Sarout on May's The Leading Edge exploring rock physics. Joel highlights the nine papers and discusses the common themes and latest advances in this growing topic. He also highlights the case studies from this special section, why new geophysicists should specialize in rock physics, and considers the next advances in rock physics. Joel Sarout is a Senior Research Scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Australia, where he currently leads the Rock Properties Team. He is a rock physicist by background and his research interests lie in experimental geophysics and geomechanics, and theoretical modeling of porous/cracked rocks behavior. His technical expertise lies in the experimental and theoretical aspects of rock/fluid interactions, anisotropy, thermal conductivity, rock damage, laboratory and field micro-seismicity, permeability, seismic dispersion and frequency effects. He holds a PhD in Earth Sciences, Rock Physics/Geomechanics from École normale supérieure in Paris, France. Show notes and links at https://seg.org/podcast. Credits Interview: Joel Sarout Original music by Zach Bridges. This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Special thanks to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ashley Rodriguez, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Apple Podcasts to be the first to know about new episodes!
16 Maj 201920min
55: Shrinking uncertainties in the geosciences - an exploration of India
In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with Satchidananda Rath and Soman Chacko on April's The Leading Edge highlighting the recent oil and gas developments in India. First, Mr. Rath provides an overview of the current geophysical activity in India and where the next advancements might come from. Then Andrew speaks with Dr. Chacko highlighting a few of the eight papers published for this special section, discussing techniques and geophysics utilized in prolific and unexplored basins in India. Interviewee biographies Mr. Satchidananda Rath is an upstream petroleum professional with 36 years in oil and gas exploration, drilling, production, and national and international exploration project management. He is a current member of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board in India and retired as Director Operations from Oil India Limited (OIL). Dr. Soman Chacko is a Consultant Geophysicist with over 36 years of experience in the upstream oil and gas industry. He obtained a Ph.D. in Geophysics from Rice University in Houston, Texas, and then worked for the Exxon Corporation (now ExxonMobil) for 33 years, primarily at international locations. After retiring from ExxonMobil, he was with Cairn India Ltd as Chief Geophysicist for three years before retiring again to be a consultant in Houston. His interests include seismic acquisition, processing, interpretation, and quantitative seismic interpretation. Editor's note: Dr. Chacko added this comment - "We were very pleased with the large number of papers submitted by so many authors for this special section. We appreciate the participation. It was difficult to short list to the eight that finally made it and to the section. And on behalf of my fellow guest editors, I want to thank The Leading Edge for making possible this special section on India. Subscribers can read the full articles in the SEG Digital Library at https://library.seg.org/and abstracts are always free. Show notes and links at https://seg.org/podcast. Credits Interviews: Satchidananda Rath and Soman Chacko Original music by Zach Bridges. This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Special thanks to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ashley Rodriguez, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Google Play, or Apple Podcasts to be the first to know about new episodes!
2 Maj 201922min
#54: A guide to the past and future of geophysics with John Etgen
In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with John Etgen, Virgil Kauffman Gold Medal winner and upcoming Distinguished Lecturer for the third and fourth quarter of 2019. John and Andrew have an engaging and multi-faceted conversation on the current capabilities of depth imaging, the limitations of full-waveform inversion, his upcoming DL tour, how his time at Stanford and the Amoco Production Research Company impacted his career, and more. This episode proudly sponsored by ION Geophysical. Interviewee biography John Etgen received a Bachelor of Science degree in geophysical engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and a Ph.D. in geophysics from Stanford University. During his studies, he had the good fortune to work on a wide variety of topics in seismic imaging and data processing while learning from his mentors, Jon Claerbout and Norm Bleistein, along with many talented colleagues and fellow students. He began his industrial career at the Amoco Production Research Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In Tulsa, he had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of topics and learn from leading researchers, such as Dan Whitmore, Rusty Alford, Kurt Marfurt, Ken Kelley, Sam Gray, and many others. In 1999, Amoco merged with British Petroleum (BP) and John moved to Houston, Texas. In 2008, he and Carl Regone were awarded the Virgil Kauffman Gold Medal for their work in wide-azimuth marine seismic. In late 2011, John was appointed distinguished advisor for seismic imaging at BP. John currently serves as assistant editor for GEOPHYSICS and continues to work in the upstream technology organization at BP. Sponsor ION Geophysical is a pioneer in Full Waveform Inversion, an advanced model estimation technique that reduces exploration risk while enabling more effective development decisions. The ION suite of FWI technologies provide highly accurate models of the subsurface by utilizing the entire wave field, powering deeper and more robust model estimation across a range of acquisition configurations. Learn more about Full Waveform Inversion by typing "ION FWI" into your favorite search engine. Credits Interview: John Etgen Original music by Zach Bridges. This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Special thanks to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ashley Rodriguez, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney, with additional support from Kathy Gamble. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Google Play, or Apple Podcasts to be the first to know about new episodes!
18 Apr 201935min
#53: The pros and cons of full-waveform inversion
In this episode, host Andrew Geary speaks with John Brittan, contributor to March's The Leading Edge. March's special section returns to a common and major topic for TLE - full-waveform inversion. John highlights the advantages and disadvantages of several FWI approaches, discusses the possibilities and limitations of the technique, and explores the common themes across the seven papers. Episode 53 proudly sponsored by ION Geophysical. Interviewee biography John Brittan received a BSc in Physics from the University of Birmingham in 1992 and, thanks to a Shell Scholarship, a PhD from Imperial College, London in Geophysics in 1995. He then was a Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Research Fellow at Imperial, being part of the team who undertook the first seismic profile across the K-T boundary crater at Chicxulub and also being part of Imperial's pioneering efforts in full-waveform inversion. He joined Petroleum Geo-Services in 1997, where he worked on the research and development of data processing algorithms with particular interest in the fields of multiple removal, time-lapse processing, travel-time tomography and noise attenuation. John undertook a number of management roles at PGS including Head of Processing Technology and Chief Geophysicist for Data Processing and Technology. In 2013 he joined ION where he is Vice-President, Europe and Africa in the Imaging Services division. He is an active member of the PESGB, EAGE and SEG and was until recently an Associate Editor of Geophysical Prospecting. Subscribers can read the full articles in the SEG Digital Library at https://library.seg.org/and abstracts are always free. Show notes and links at https://seg.org/podcast. Sponsor ION Geophysical is a pioneer in Full Waveform Inversion, an advanced model estimation technique that reduces exploration risk while enabling more effective development decisions. The ION suite of FWI technologies provide highly accurate models of the subsurface by utilizing the entire wave field, powering deeper and more robust model estimation across a range of acquisition configurations. Learn more about Full Waveform Inversion by typing "ION FWI" into your favorite search engine. Credits Interview: John Brittan Original music by Zach Bridges. This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by Andrew Geary. Special thanks to the SEG podcast team: Jennifer Crockett, Ashley Rodriguez, Ally McGinnis, and Mick Swiney, , with additional support from Kathy Gamble. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Google Play, or Apple Podcasts to be the first to know about new episodes!
4 Apr 201927min
