Dear SPE Aberdeen members, colleagues and friends,
I hope you have all been enjoying the summer break and are now ready for the SPE Aberdeen Section 2018 – 2019 session.
As in previous years we have a full calendar of events lined up for the coming session, covering a wide range of topics. We start with our annual kick off meeting later this month, (1730 on 29th August at the Jurys Inn in Union Square). This is a great way to find out more about what is lined up for the coming year and also how to become more involved in the section; more details about this event including the booking link are below.
Our Continuing Education committee is constantly ensuring that their events meet the needs and interests of our members and as a result have added 2 new events to their calendar. In December we will be holding the first Petroleum Economics conference and then in February 2019 we have the first Pumps and Pipes UK conference which will bring together technologies from the oil & gas, medical, space and aerospace industries.
Our Programme Committee have finalised their schedule of evening dinner meetings for the coming sessions. The line-up includes 3 SPE Distinguished Lecturers as well as presentations from BP, CNR, Expro and Premier Oil. Details of all these events and more are available on our website.
It was great to see our 2017 – 2018 events so well attended. As a direct result we made a modest surplus and are able to support some great initiatives aimed at inspiring the next generation; this continues to be a priority for the section as a whole. We are delighted to be the principal sponsors of the Summer of Engineering at Aberdeen Science Centre. Running for 8 weeks over the summer, they have a packed programme with a wide variety of activities showcasing the ways in which engineering helps shape our world. This summer we will also be supporting TechFest’s Festival of Science, now in its 25th year. We are also very excited about the return of the NASA in Aberdeen project for the 3rd year in March 2019 – the theme this year is drilling – for oil and on other worlds.
We very much value the collaborations we have with the local branches of many other societies and look forward to continuing to work with them over the coming session. We will also explore other potential collaborations to ensure we continue to serve the industry and community in a coordinated manner.
As the new session get underway there have been some new appointments to the positions of chair and vice chair of our committees and we look forward to working with them. Equally, on behalf of the section, I would like to thank those who have moved on from these positions for all their input and enthusiasm over the last session.
I look forward to seeing you at our events over the coming year.