Italy is Showing Me How Much Science Needs Communication

Hello from sunny Italy!

I am finishing up a micropaleo program called the International School on Foraminifera at the University of Urbino. (I am sorry, but yes - it truly is as nice as it sounds!)

I came here in part to find ways to leverage my biology degree more in my work. I also hoped to gain a deeper practical understanding of how biology, paleoecology and stratigraphy underpin so much of the work we do in oil and gas.

I never forgot my introduction to micropaleo during my undergrad. With two degrees, I always assumed my career would bridge biology and geology. (Side note - my time at Memorial University still continues to prove to be such an incredible gift!) 

Coming here was a difficult decision given how little drilling work I've had over the past months. I believe that it is important to use this downtime as an opportunity to learn and become more competitive. I allocate my time and resources accordingly. I did some research on how much micropaleo is being used for industrial applications, especially in Canada. The feedback I received was troubling:

• My paleontology professor is set to retire. It appears that no one will be coming behind him.
• Canada offers little to no opportunity for training grad students in related work. 
• A number of oil and gas micropaleo people lamented the lack of demand for their services, a few of them even seemed excited to receive an email regarding use of microfossils or forams (an event that hadn't happened in years).
• It became clear that few people are doing related work in Canada.
• Micropaleo appears to be FAR less recognized Canadian oil and gas than 10 years ago.

Strangely, no one seemed to have insight regarding why things had changed. 

Curiously, however, I also discovered that work IS being done offshore Canada - just generally not by Canadians or Canadian consultancies!

This left me with more questions than answers.

Had micropaleo become antiquated and eclipsed by other, more useful disciplines? If so, why was there still work happening offshore and in the North Sea? And why aren't more Canadians involved?

Is it possible that the discipline has simply been forgotten about here in Canada?! Many geologists seemed unaware of micropaleo applications, even those who were enthusiastic about biostratigraphy. (I even had difficultly doing research to find out if and how the science was successfully being used in industry!) None of this was inspiring confidence.

I still decided to make the trip, thinking that sometimes you have to go outside your regular "bubble" to learn.

During the program, I learned how foram fossils and micropaleontology are established go-to tools for a range of industrial applications, as well as emerging environmental science applications (and related demand). A number of major oil companies had sent employees to the same program. We even learned about a case where Saudi Aramco had established that foram fossils were the only way they could effectively biosteer underbalanced wells in the Khuff formation, using the tiny fossils to verify stratigraphic positioning with greater accuracy and speed than is possible with drilling data and gamma ray logs!

Forams can be cheap way to get better age control (and insight into) stratigraphic horizons, determine depositional conditions, water depth, etc. Micropaleontology clearly still offers great value, but it has become relatively invisible in Canada.

Unsurprisingly, I was the only student in the program who was not involved in related work or research. To my surprise, the school director strongly encouraged me to present anyway, on my work and/or a topic of my choosing! I only had a few hours to prepare. I decided to talk about how important it is to support our work in science with communication and advocacy that engages broader audiences. Alternatively, we isolate ourselves at our own peril. It felt VERY uncomfortable to go out on such a limb - in a technical program with a hastily prepared presentation, no less - but I felt like the message was a relevant one.

In the process, I enlightened a number of micropaleontologists about how operational and sampling issues can affect their work. As a result, people mused how it might be beneficial for industrial micropaleo people to work more closely with operations and wellsite geologists! Last but not least, I learned (and again benefited) from pushing myself beyond my own bubble.

My work resonated well with some attendees and guest instructors, including one expert I'd been most excited about meeting! (We spoke at length about how science needs more evangelists to make our work more visible to a wider audience. Otherwise, we risk finding ourselves out of work and opportunity). 

In the case of oil and gas micropaleontology in Canada, perhaps lack of communication can even wipe out an entire field of academic research! Why would a client, facing immense uncertainity and financial pressure, wish to invest in an unknown, invisible science? Our success is good as the stories we can tell that demonstrate the value of our work. 

This is also very relevant to geology (and particularly wellsite geology), which is able to offer far greater value than many realize. Recognition of this, however, is declining. It is up to us to react accordingly. We can respond to the pressure and and adapt as survivalists, or increase the chances of falling prey to the ongoing "extinction event". 

On that note, I hope you enjoy my forthcoming mix of writing regarding science, communications, and politics. The former should exert FAR more influence on the latter. I will intermittently discuss all three. 

I'm so glad I made the trip.