October 2011 Newsletter - petroleum engineering colorado school ...

EAST COAST CONT.coordinator) met us at Elizabeth Harbor, NJ. There, weboarded the Sorenson Miller, a fine ship, and made a tourof New York harbor. We were reviewing the geophysicalstudies that e4sciences is doing of the harbor floor, studyingthe geology, and noting the environmental remediationefforts (centuries of harbor traffic can make a mess). Weended up at North Cove Marina in south Manhattan, next toGround Zero. In an emotional moment, we embarked andoverlooked the construction efforts of the new World TradeCenter and paid our respects to the lives lost on 9/11.to Boston in reasonable time. We left at 7 am on Saturdayand returned to Denver, safe and sound, no aborted takeoffsthis time.What an intense trip this one was. We saw, did, and hearda lot! I cannot thank Azra, Ramona, and especially Denisefor their efforts and assistance. I also appreciate Felipe,David, and Anil’s work along with John Stubbs and SarahNowak, two student drivers. And of course, kudos to allthose companies and people that made this a fantastic fieldsession and a signature event for the Petroleum EngineeringDepartment and the Colorado School of Mines. I know Ihave missed some that should be named. If so, pleaseforgive me and please accept our gratitude!Geophysical tour of the New York HarborWe left Manhattan and, after the drivers and I retrievedthe vans from NJ and met the students on Staten Island,we all had to get to Boston. Keep in mind this was Fridayafternoon on Memorial Day weekend with all of New Yorkbetween Boston and us. I now can say I have driven throughManhattan on a holiday weekend during rush hour. It wasn’ttoo bad until we hit Connecticut, then it ground down to aslugging match. Luckily, the e4sciences people gave me adriving tip (CT 15) that made it somewhat easy to make itThe group with a famous lady in the backgroundPEGN 315 FIELD SESSION – CALIFORNIA By Linda BattaloraThanks to the generosity and enthusiasm of our manyalumni and friends, the 2011 PEGN 315 Field Session inSouthern California and Bakersfield was a great success!Fifty-two students, four graduate student TAs, Patti Hassen(Administrative Assistant to Dr. Ramona Graves), Al Sami(PE Lab Coordinator) and I, arrived in Los Angeles onMonday, May 16, 2011 and once again set up “camp” at theLa Quinta Inn in Ventura. We began our first full day onTuesday with a morning tour at Weatherford “Oil Country”followed by a delicious lunch catered by Weatherford at thePirou Petroleum Club. In the afternoon, Kris Khircher andAndrew Prestridge, DCOR, arranged an informative tour ofDCOR’s Rincon Onshore Separation Facility. Many thanksto Weatherford and DCOR for a great first day!about formation fractures and regional fracture developmentand structural traps amidst higher than predicted tides andcold Pacific Ocean water! The students had their first tasteof “unexpected conditions in the field” and quickly learnedthat it’s wisest to remove shoes when wading through waterthat is thigh-high. Best question of the day (and perhapsIt wouldn’t be Field Session in California if we didn’t meetwith Jon Schwalbach, Aera Energy, for our annual “beach”geology field trip in Arroyo Burro Park and Loon Point.Together with Dave Mayer, Berry Petroleum, and IndarSingh, Aera Energy, Jon succeeded in teaching the studentsKris Khircher of DCOR, with students Hope, Andrea, Nadiah and Nanthini29