Meet the Geoscientists

What do you do? I am a petroleum geologist. My job involves analyzing subsurface data to determine the best locations to drill for oil and natural gas.

Why did you go into your field? I have always loved science. I collected rocks since I was a little girl and have always been fascinated by earthquakes, volcanoes, dinosaurs, and the planets. I was fortunate to meet an African American female geologist in high school at one of the career days. She helped to expose me to this field of study, and continues to be a mentor. After my junior year of high school, I participated in the “Geology in the Rockies” program at the University of New Orleans. This program involved taking basic geology classes, then a field trip to Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas to study the rock formations and overall environment. As soon as I returned from the trip, I knew I was hooked and decided I would major in geology when starting college. I completed my first internship with an oil and gas company after I finished my senior year of high school. It was there that I met an African American male geophysicist who had great impact on my life through college as a geology major and even now throughout my career. Meeting those two geoscientists and participating in the program at the University of New Orleans were pivotal points leading to my decision to become a geologist...and that was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

My job as a petroleum geologist involves investigation and piecing together a puzzle. You have to study how the area formed, what work others have done in the area, if they failed or were successful, and come up with a new approach and reason to drill a well. You also have to believe enough in your interpretation to sell it to the people in power and make them see the benefit of spending millions of dollars on your idea. That is one of the thrills of this career.

What changes in your field have you seen (regarding opportunity)? This is a Caucasian male dominated field, but minorities are getting increasingly exposed to geoscience career opportunities and taking advantage of them. Several scholarship and internship programs are directly targeted at the recruitment and support of minorities interested in pursuing a career as a geoscientist. There are also professional organizations formed specifically to advocate minority geoscientists (i.e.- National Association of Black Geologists & Geophysicists, Association for Women Geoscientists, etc.).

What challenges have you faced in the field of geology? Geology is a difficult college major, involving several mathematics, engineering, and physics classes. It is definitely a challenging degree choice. I have had to deal with the “what is she doing here” look, as well as general surprised stares at conferences and other professional settings. I expect to be the only minority, or one of few, at most career functions, which is not always comfortable. Fortunately, the minority presence is growing and the industry is becoming more welcoming of this change.

Recommendations for students interested in your field: Geoscience is such a diverse field. Find the aspect that interests you most and pursue this passion. Be prepared to study hard in college. Do your research...there are many scholarship and internship opportunities all over the world available to you (the internet is one of the best resources). Seek out organizations and specific people who concentrate in your area of interest. These people can provide you with very valuable advice. Know that you will face challenges, but believe that you are strong enough to conquer them. I think geoscience is one of the most interesting science fields and it can take you places you never thought you would go.

Contact information: You can contact Ms. Ragas at work at: aragas@kmg.com or by phone (303) 607-3486.

Carrie Foster, Geologist

Employer/years in this field: ConocoPhillips, 4.5 years in this field

Education: B.S. degree in Geology at Florida State University, M.S. degree in Geology at The University of Alabama, Masters Thesis focused on seismic interpretation of the Appalachian Overthrust Belt.

Cultural/social background: I was born in New York. At a fairly young age, my parents were divorced and I grew up with my mother and sister in Florida. My sister and I traveled to New York often visiting my Dad and family. I stayed in Florida until I started graduate school in Alabama. Since then I have lived in New Orleans (for 3 months), Oklahoma (2 years) and now live in Houston, TX.

What do you do? As a geologist in the exploration side of the oil industry, my job focuses on identifying leads and prospects for drilling. The majority of my time I spend interpreting seismic data (both 2D and 3D seismic) and well log data. Once a lead is identified, I will then create structure and thickness maps of the reservoir section (using mapping software), and then calculate potential hydrocarbon volumes. I work closely with a team that includes: geophysicists, other geologists, and specialists in geology (basin modelers, biostratigraphers, stratigraphers, structural experts, etc.). As a team we will present our prospects for drilling to management and identify the key risks for the prospect. Once we begin drilling the well we will monitor the drilling, load all of the well logs, tie the well data to the seismic, and do post-well geological studies. If the well has found hydrocarbons, we will estimate the size of the hydrocarbon accumulation. We may also have to drill several appraisal wells to estimate the commerciality of the discovery.

Why did you go into your field? I wasn’t completely sure that I wanted to go into the petroleum industry until my first internship after I started graduate school. During my internship I was working with 3D seismic data and well logs to estimate the size of a discovered field. I loved working with the cutting edge technology and I realized that this is the kind of industry where I will always be using improving my skills as a geologist.

What changes in your field have you seen (regarding opportunity)? Recently, the petroleum industry has started hiring more aggressively. One main reason is the demographics of the oil industry, there are a lot of people in the industry are over 40 years of age and they are looking for new geoscientists to fill in the gap when a lot of people begin to retire.

What challenges have you faced in the field of geosciences? One of the biggest challenges was in looking for a job in the petroleum industry. At the time that I was finishing my masters degree the petroleum industry was in a slight downturn and there wasn’t much hiring going on. Also, the Geology Department at the University of Alabama did not have a lot of petroleum companies coming to recruit. So I had to make a lot of cold calls just to get my name our there. Finally, after attending several AAPG student expos, I got a second internship, which led to a permanent position at ConocoPhillips.

Recommendations for students interested in your field: If you decide to go into the petroleum industry it is better to attend a university that is focused on the petroleum field, because you will get more contacts within the industry, create a good network and those departments will have a curriculum that includes petroleum related courses. Also, keep in mind that most petroleum companies these days require a Masters degree in either geology or geophysics and it is good to have a well-rounded background in both geology and geophysics.