Seismic Soundoff

Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG)

Seismic Soundoff showcases conversations addressing the challenges of energy, water, and climate. Produced by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and hosted by Andrew Geary of 51 features, these episodes celebrate and inspire the geophysicists of today and tomorrow. Three new episodes monthly.

  1. 13h ago

    Inside IMAGE '26 - How GWB Turns Geoscience Into Human Impact

    Geoscientists Without Borders starts with a simple idea: geoscience can improve someone’s life. Jim Funk has seen what access to clean water can mean in African communities, while Craig Beasley talks about projects that help people prepare for earthquakes and volcanoes, recover forgotten burial sites near Houston, and give students the experience of using geoscience for something deeply human. Twenty years in, GWB does not have a shortage of ideas or need. Craig and Jim say dozens of proposals can arrive when only a handful can be supported. That makes funding one of the central challenges now. More money could mean larger grants, longer projects, and work capable of reaching far more people. GWB has already shown what geoscientists can do. The question is how much more becomes possible if the profession and industry chooses to back it. LINKS * Geoscientists Without Borders - https://seg.org/programs/geoscientists-without-borders/ * Attend IMAGE '26 - www.imageevent.org/ * Listen to Inside IMAGE Podcast Series - www.imageevent.org/podcast

    Inside IMAGE '26 - How GWB Turns Geoscience Into Human Impact

  2. 14h ago

    Inside IMAGE '26 - Bringing Sheriff's Dictionary to the Spanish-Speaking World

    This one is personal for me. I worked with Reinaldo Michelena, Lucía Torrado, and Sergio Chávez-Pérez on this project for years, and after more than a decade of effort, seeing a printed Spanish edition of Robert Sheriff’s Encyclopedic Dictionary of Applied Geophysics at IMAGE was genuinely moving. More than 140 volunteers helped turn thousands of technical terms and hundreds of figures into a book for geoscientists who work in Spanish every day. And this was intentionally human work. No AI translation. People from across the Spanish-speaking world debated terminology, challenged regional bias, redrew figures, wrote code, and kept showing up until the book was real. Some of the people who helped make it possible, including Sven Treitel, Héctor Alfonso, and Susan Stamm, did not live to see the finished book. That gives this accomplishment a weight that goes far beyond publishing a dictionary. By the end of the conversation, Reinaldo, Lucía, and Sergio are reflecting on friendship, professional growth, and what it means to spend years working on such a meaningful project.

    Inside IMAGE '26 - Bringing Sheriff's Dictionary to the Spanish-Speaking World

  3. 1d ago

    Inside IMAGE '26 - The Other Half of a Technical Career

    The SEG & AAPG Women’s Network brought together six leaders for a conversation on technical leadership and decision-making in complex energy environments. The panel focused on what happens as technical experts take on greater responsibility, where decisions cannot wait for perfect information and leadership increasingly depends on understanding people as well as the work. A few ideas that stood out from the panel: * Patricia de Lugão: Good managers are people who know the subject. * Rachael Moreland: Even a degree in neuroscience has helped shape her path in geoscience. * Lorena Moscardelli: Procrastinate. Sometimes what first looks like noise becomes signal. * Marianne Rauch: You cannot get to 100 percent certainty. At some point, you have to say, “Enough.” * Allison Kennedy Thurmond: Be intentional. Be ready with Plan B and Plan C. * Tai Prince: Not everyone thinks like you. Remember that when dealing with a difficult challenge or colleague. After the panel, I continued the conversation with Patricia de Lugão and Allison Kennedy Thurmond. This is a true Inside IMAGE episode, as Patricia, Allison, and I built on what was shared on the panel in real time. Even with that impromptu feel, there are meaningful tips and well-earned wisdom throughout. For the full description of the Women’s Network Executive Panel and biographies of all six panelists, visit https://www.imageevent.org/special-events/special-session-panel-session/high-impact-technical-leadership-executive-decision-making-in-complex-energy-environments. And a special thanks to the moderator of the panel, Maria Angela Capello. LINKS * Attend IMAGE '26 - www.imageevent.org/ * View the Inside IMAGE '26 Podcast Schedule - public.3.basecamp.com/p/LETDMZk3GvZ42PzjQMdmY7in * Listen to Inside IMAGE Podcast Series - www.imageevent.org/podcast

    Inside IMAGE '26 - The Other Half of a Technical Career

  4. 1d ago

    Inside IMAGE '26 - What Great Geoscientists Keep Learning

    Tom Ewing and Mike Forrest join me ahead of the AAPG and SEG Honors and Awards ceremonies for a conversation that quickly becomes less about the awards and more about what kept them engaged for so many decades. Tom talks about the career turns that moved him from tectonics into the Texas subsurface, consulting, regional geology, and a long habit of publishing work other geoscientists could actually use. Mike keeps coming back to something even simpler: seismic interpretation is still fun, curiosity still matters, and he still enjoys learning alongside students and colleagues. What gives the conversation its energy is that neither sounds finished. They talk about saying yes, giving back, staying useful, and making room for the next generation in a profession that looks very different from the one they entered. LINKS * AAPG Honors and Awards - https://www.aapg.org/news-and-media/explorer/announcing-aapg-s-honors-and-awards-for-2027/ * SEG Honors and Awards - https://seg.org/news/society-of-exploration-geophysicists-announces-2026-honors-and-awards-recipients/ * Attend IMAGE '26 - www.imageevent.org/ * View the Inside IMAGE '26 Podcast Schedule - public.3.basecamp.com/p/LETDMZk3GvZ42PzjQMdmY7in * Listen to Inside IMAGE Podcast Series - www.imageevent.org/podcast

    Inside IMAGE '26 - What Great Geoscientists Keep Learning

  5. 2d ago

    Inside IMAGE '26 - Where the Next Geoscience Opportunity Comes From

    As IMAGE 2026 gets underway, we return to two conversations from last year that feel even more relevant now. Peter Duncan explains why asset turnover can create openings for smaller oil and gas companies. In today’s opening address, ExxonMobil’s John Ardill said the company is quicker to sell acreage it no longer plans to pursue rather than hold onto it. Peter described the opportunity on the other side of that process: experienced people leave or form new companies, acquire properties the majors no longer want, and become a new group of customers looking for geophysical technology and expertise. Peter also shares a very different example of how unexpected opportunities emerge. A company approached MicroSeismic at IMAGE about monitoring sinkholes after a costly event in Florida. That conversation became several million dollars a year in ongoing work, in a market MicroSeismic would never have thought to pursue on its own. Susan Nash picks up that theme from another direction. She sees growing need for subsurface knowledge across natural gas, geothermal, lithium, produced water, and energy storage. She also left IMAGE thinking differently about AI after hearing an approach that starts with rocks and geologic data rather than only the language geoscientists have already written, raising questions about how much interpretation and bias may already be built into training material. Together, these 2025 conversations offer a useful way into IMAGE 2026: opportunity can emerge when assets change hands, when familiar technology finds an unexpected application, and when people put ideas next to each other that they would not have connected otherwise. LINKS * Attend IMAGE '26 - https://www.imageevent.org/ * View the Inside IMAGE '26 Podcast Schedule - https://public.3.basecamp.com/p/LETDMZk3GvZ42PzjQMdmY7in * Listen to Inside IMAGE Podcast Series - https://www.imageevent.org/podcast

    Inside IMAGE '26 - Where the Next Geoscience Opportunity Comes From

  6. Aug 13

    304: What Energy Security Means for Geophysics in the Middle East

    "I wish people understood that the pace of change across this region is not gradual anymore. It's moving very quickly and in many cases faster than traditional global markets expect." Conflicts and disrupted energy flows have put energy security back at the center of the conversation, and Yogaani Bhatia is seeing what that means for geophysics across the Middle East and beyond. Exploration is gaining renewed attention, Saudi Arabia is building out a major mining sector, and countries such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are investing in geological knowledge and new resource development. Behind all of it is the same need: understand the subsurface well enough to make better decisions. And as investment accelerates, the challenge is not simply having better technology. It is having the people who know how to use it. KEY TAKEAWAYS > Energy security is making subsurface knowledge strategic again: Pressure on energy flows is reinforcing the need for secure, diversified resources. Exploration is increasingly viewed not only as a commercial activity, but as a strategic capability tied to long-term energy and resource security. > Some of the fastest change is happening across the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, and Asia Pacific: Saudi Arabia is expanding mining, Central Asia is investing in geological knowledge, Africa is seeing renewed frontier exploration, and Asia Pacific is advancing offshore energy, CCS, and geothermal. > Energy and minerals draw on many of the same geophysics skills: Imaging, interpretation, data integration, and other subsurface expertise developed in oil and gas are increasingly crossing into mining, critical minerals, geothermal, and carbon storage. > Better technology still depends on people who know how to use it: The AI and digital conversation is shifting from whether the tools have value to how they improve workflows and decisions, while organizations also face a growing need to develop talent and transfer knowledge. THIS EPISODE PROUDLY SPONSORED BY HART ENERGY SUPER DUG Conference & Expo is Hart Energy's premier shale event and the largest event of its kind. If you're looking to stay ahead of what's next in U.S. shale, don't miss the 2026 SUPER DUG, happening September 15-17 in Houston. Join the industry's top operators, executives and investors for three days of market outlooks, strategic discussions and unmatched networking focused on the trends shaping the future of oil and gas. Register today at https://hartenergy.com/SUPERDUG26. Be sure to use promo code SD26-SEG at checkout to save on your registration. Be part of the conversations shaping the future of U.S. shale. LINKS * Find upcoming events at https://seg.org/events. * Read about GEOMIN 2025: A Global Debut in Mining Innovation and Collaboration at https://seg.org/news/geomin-2025-a-global-debut-in-mining-innovation-and-collaboration/. * Learn more about IMAGE '26 and register today at https://www.imageevent.org/. ABOUT SEISMIC SOUNDOFF Seismic Soundoff showcases conversations addressing the challenges of energy, water, and climate. Produced by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and hosted by Andrew Geary of 51 features, these episodes celebrate and inspire the geophysicists of today and tomorrow. Three new episodes monthly. See the full archive at https://seg.org/resources/podcast/.

    304: What Energy Security Means for Geophysics in the Middle East

  7. Aug 6

    303: Can Your Subsurface Model Explain All the Data?

    "We have to absorb and analyze more data than ever in shorter amounts of time. Spending a day thinking about these workflows can bring you insights into practical ways to integrate the model and data across disciplines." Subsurface teams have more data than ever, but that does not guarantee better decisions. Maisha Amaru explains why geology and geophysics need to connect early, before uncertainty leads to weak models or repeated work. Her DISC course, Using All Your Data: Integration of Geology and Geophysics, offers a full day on August 16 to step back and think through these workflows before IMAGE ’26 begins. The course and accompanying book provide practical ways to improve integration, use new tools carefully, and make better use of the information already available. KEY TAKEAWAYS > More data does not automatically produce better answers: Teams need time to test what the data support, where uncertainty remains, and what matters for the decision. > Integration works best when it begins early: Connecting geology and geophysics before models are finalized can reduce rework and reveal problems sooner. > A day away from routine work can create long-term value: The August 16 DISC course gives attendees space to learn, make connections, and begin IMAGE ’26 with integration already in focus. LINKS * Register for the August 16 session of Using All Your Data: Integration of Geology and Geophysics at https://www.imageevent.org/short-course/using-all-your-data-integration-of-geology-and-geophysics * Learn more about Maisha's course and see the full schedule at https://seg.org/education/courses/maisha-amaru-disc/ * Learn more about IMAGE '26 and register today at https://www.imageevent.org/. ABOUT SEISMIC SOUNDOFF Seismic Soundoff showcases conversations addressing the challenges of energy, water, and climate. Produced by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and hosted by Andrew Geary of 51 features, these episodes celebrate and inspire the geophysicists of today and tomorrow. Three new episodes monthly. See the full archive at https://seg.org/resources/podcast/.

    303: Can Your Subsurface Model Explain All the Data?

  8. Jul 23

    302: Why Integration Defines the IMAGE ’26 Technical Program

    “We’re moving from isolated geoscience disciplines to integrated subsurface solutions. You’re seeing AI becoming an enabling technology rather than the story itself.” Adam R. Goss and Bunmi Elebiju explain why IMAGE ’26 is designed to reward people who look beyond their usual discipline. AI, uncertainty, regional geology, and emerging energy applications are woven through the program because the real value comes from seeing how different parts of geoscience connect to better decisions. This conversation helps attendees understand what to look for, how to navigate the program, and why the session you did not plan to attend may be the one that changes how you approach your work. Learn more about IMAGE '26 and register today at https://www.imageevent.org/. KEY TAKEAWAYS > Integration was a deliberate program decision: The committee avoided separate SEG, AAPG, and narrowly defined technology silos because today’s geoscientists must connect geology, geophysics, digital tools, uncertainty, finance, and business decisions. > AI has moved from demonstration to accountability: The important question at IMAGE ’26 is no longer whether AI can interpret seismic data, accelerate FWI, or pick wells, but where it improves decision quality, where poor data limits it, and where human expertise remains essential. > Attendees should organize IMAGE around a problem, not a job title: Following one technical objective across regions, disciplines, oral sessions, and posters can reveal ideas that would remain hidden inside a geology, geophysics, basin, or technology track. THIS EPISODE PROUDLY SPONSORED BY VIRIDIEN As an industry leader in imaging distributed acoustic sensing data, Viridien brings proven expertise across 2D, 3D, and 4D projects by combining advanced algorithms and HPC. Delivering clearer images, faster interpretation, and deeper insight for oil & gas reservoir monitoring and carbon storage projects. Discover more at https://viridiengroup.com/DAS. ABOUT SEISMIC SOUNDOFF Seismic Soundoff showcases conversations addressing the challenges of energy, water, and climate. Produced by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and hosted by Andrew Geary of 51 features, these episodes celebrate and inspire the geophysicists of today and tomorrow. Three new episodes monthly. See the full archive at https://seg.org/resources/podcast/.

    302: Why Integration Defines the IMAGE ’26 Technical Program
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About

Seismic Soundoff showcases conversations addressing the challenges of energy, water, and climate. Produced by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and hosted by Andrew Geary of 51 features, these episodes celebrate and inspire the geophysicists of today and tomorrow. Three new episodes monthly.

Information

  • Creator
    Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG)
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    317
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Seismic Soundoff

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