Technical Luncheons
Petroleum Geology eTextbook: Demonstrating the Publication Possibilities within Geoscience
Speakers:
Stephen L. Bend,
Department of Geology, University of Regina
Date/Time: Wednesday, June 4, 2008 - 11:30 am
Location: Telus
Convention Centre - Calgary, Alberta
The cut-off date for ticket sales is 1:00 pm, Friday, May 30th, 2008*
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ABSTRACT
During this talk I will present and demonstrate my eTextbook in Petroleum Geology, recently published by the American Association of Petroleum Geology (AAPG) in December 2007.
Widely acknowledged as the first peer-reviewed electronic textbook in geoscience, this CD-Rom based publication is a significant departure from the traditional textbook and previous web-based eText experiments because of the depth, breadth and scope of material that is contained within this CD-Rom based publication. For the first time, an introductory textbook in geology is able to combine the traditional look of a textbook with a very large number of colour images, animations, video clips, and immersive images (e.g., virtual microscope); but also include an interlinked 'library' of classic, peer-reviewed, journal articles, book chapters and contributions by professionals within the industry. This eTextbook also contains many of the petrophysical logging charts that are so frequently used by the professional petroleum geologist, and demonstrates the utility of such charts and diagrams by including several worked examples.
From a teaching and pedagogical perspective, this publication platform enables the presentation of concepts and instructional material in a variety of possible ways that I believe presents concepts in a much more accessible way. This, of course, readily suits the teaching of geology, which is a highly visual discipline. The ability to include limitless full colour graphics, or use various forms of multimedia that facilitate the learning process, without the limitation of cost, is especially appealing where traditional texts have either suffered from high cost or the exclusion of colour.
Is this publication platform a mere publication oddity? It would appear not, since the AAPG already has two other similar electronic publication projects in various states of preparation and others in the planning stage. The relatively low cost of publication, a high degree of portability, the freedom from bandwidth restrictions and an independence from the internet and browser quirkiness are giving other publishers reasons to take this publication platform seriously.
BIOGRAPHY
Stephen Bend has a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Keele, England, a Master's Degree in Organic Petrology and Organic Geochemistry from the Organic Geochemistry Unit (now NRG), the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and a Ph.D. from the Northern Carbon Research Labs., School of Chemistry, also at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He was employed by Exlog as a petroleum geologist for over five and half years during that time he was contracted to the following oil/gas fields or locations: Beryl Oil Field, Statfjord Field, North Sea; Gulf of Suez, Egypt; Gaijuira Peninsular, Columbia; B.C./Alberta Foothills, Hibernia Field and Scotia Shelf, Canada; Dutch North Sea; N.W Dome, Qatar and the Troms-1 Field, Norwegian Arctic. In 1984 he operated and managed a commercial Geochemistry Laboratory in Halifax, Nova Scotia for Exlog Canada, which prompted a return to graduate school in 1985. In 1990 he joined the Department of Geology at the University of Regina where he has served as both a faculty member and a former Head of Department.
On going research interests include the petrographic and geochemical study of crustal organic matter, specifically related to the correlation and modeling of crude oils and source rocks within the Williston Basin and the characterisation of coal, coal bed methane and CO2 sequestration, coal oxidation, the fluorescence characteristics of coal macerals, the origin and correlative relationship of lower Palaeozoic oils. Stephen was instrumental in creating a new Modeling/GIS laboratory within the Department of Geology at the University of Regina.
He has published extensively in the AAPG Bulletin, Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, the Journal of Sedimentary Research, and the international journals of Coal Geology, Fuel and Organic Geochemistry. He has also served, and presently serves, on numerous international and national professional committees and societies, such as the United Nations Committee for Europe, the International Committee for Coal Petrology, the Society for Organic Petrology and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. His expertise has also been utilized as an Expert Witness in both civil and Crown prosecutions both at home and internationally.
