SPE MEMBERSHIP AND BENEFITS
It's hard to believe we are one month away from the end of 2020. I suspect a lot of people in the United States and around the world would like this year to be over soon. There is hope that next year will bring a fresh start, the end of the pandemic and the beginning or continuation of a global economic recovery for many industries, including energy. This month, I will talk about SPE membership, its benefits and the GCS enhanced on-demand content library.
If you are an SPE member, you should have received your share of SPE membership renewal reminders for 2021. I encourage all SPE members to renew their membership and continue to enjoy membership benefits. If you are not an SPE member, I encourage you to join at spe.org/join.
I have been an active SPE Member since 2004, when I first joined as a college student, and I have been fortunate to maintain my membership uninterrupted for 16 years, with great support from my employer. If employed, check if your employer reimburses professional society registrations. I am aware that industry downturns or other personal circumstances have severely affected some members' ability to renew their SPE membership or to join. There are therefore active SPE membership discounts and rebates offered to new and lapsed members, while other accommodations are being considered to help those in need. SPE has a renewed focus on serving our members and improving the value of the SPE membership Within the last 10 years, the Gulf Coast Section reached a peak of 17,149 professional members in 2015. As of September 2020, the section had 11,107 professional paid
members, but was trending up. Some of the benefits of SPE membership include professional development, like the Petroleum Engineering Certification, SPE Online Education and SPE Connect virtual technical communities; exclusive access to events, such as the exclusive SPE Member Monday and virtual technical training at the recent 2020 ATCE; access to events, networking and discounted conference and workshops registration fees; access to resources like JPT, OnePetro, PetroWiki and SPE Bookstore discounts; volunteering opportunities; leadership opportunities on technical committees and boards; connection with employers, such as through the MiT Hiring Event; and recognition through section, regional and international awards, authoring of papers, membership milestone celebrations, etc. For members in transition, MiT committees have been created both locally and internationally to support members while in transition to new opportunities.
In addition to access to virtual events and training opportunities, I am excited to highlight the enhanced on-demand content library (spegcs.org/on-demand- content-library/), where you can find recorded professional webinars, training and industry interviews available to watch on your own time. Any funds raised from the recordings go toward the SPE-GCS Scholarship Endowment Fund.
International and energy industry news are dominated by US news. Currently, there is uncertainty about the impact of an active hurricane season on local oil and gas supply, demand and prices, along with uncertainty about the impact of the results of the U.S. November elections on the industry and economy. Baker Hughes reports 266 rigs in the U.S., an increased number compared to previous months. Whether this trend continues or is reversed will be determined by the series of events during this and the coming months.
Within SPE-GCS, we have many exciting volunteering opportunities and initiatives that you may find interesting and rewarding; we need your help and expertise: Diversity and Inclusion promotion, Mobile App proposal, Podcasts initiative, digital advertising, finding sponsorships for virtual events, just to name a few. We need volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering let us know by filling out this form (spegcs.org/forms/volunteer-spe-gcs/). Here are the events I would highlight this month: "PIPESIM in DELFI Introduction Workshop for Students and MiTs," organized by the YP Committee; "Coiled Tubing Operations & Advancements" training, organized by the Continuing Education Committee; and the HSE&S webinar on "Environmental & Social Governance," among many other professional webinars. Check the events calendar for more information and to register.
Until next month,
Simeon