14 thoughts on “Caribou Lecture”

  1. I enjoyed Astrid’s talk, she does a good job of putting a different perspective on issues that often stereotype the oil and gas industry. In the caribou lecture she showed us a side of a major energy company that the media tends to leave out. The side that shows them working with the government on environmental remediation, not just the big bad polluters that the oil and gas industry is often portrayed as. In another fresh perspective, in her talk at WIUGC, she played the devil’s advocate for a lot of renewable energy sources the media paints as a clean/better alternative to oil and gas. Astrid is a great role model for women in geology and I think it was a great opportunity to have her speak to our class.

    1. I agree: Astrid is an outstanding colleague and superb role model. Her talk was, I think, enlightening. The future of Oil and Gas is intertwined with other natural resources including water, forests and animals.

  2. Astrid’s talk was really excellent. As mentioned by Celine, she did a great job at showing a side of the oil and gas industry that often gets left out in mainstream media. It was very refreshing to know lots of big corporations are working alongside the government to not only ensure sustainable practices but also strive to improve existing methodologies even if it cost more time and money. Moreover, I was frankly blown away by her spreadsheet work and found that quite inspiring. Finally, Astrid’s points about the amount of money the government profits on every barrel of oil was something I had no idea about. I never knew how important keeping the oil and gas industry strong in Alberta is for all levels of government in our country and I was grateful for that new insight. The cookies didn’t hurt either!

      1. Correct me if I misheard, but it was really interesting when Astrid brought up how Alberta’s oil resources gives a cut to the federal government, while other natural resources like copper mining or fishing industries from other provinces don’t have to!

  3. I enjoyed Astrid’s lecture because it showed the multidisciplinary nature of geology. I expected a professional geologist working in the oil industry to talk about the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons, but Astrid focused on the environment, conservation biology, and regulatory frameworks. This reinforces my belief that geologists not only help find natural resources, but also play a crucial role in protecting the environment and its biodiversity. Astrid’s lecture has given a fresh, unique, and important perspective to our petroleum geology class.

    1. I think that resource geoscientists will have to know about all sorts of things in the future! But, these challenges are all requirements for oil and gas to act in the public interest, so that is exciting.

  4. I really like how Astrid showed us a side of geology that is often not seen. Not only was it good to see her maps and to see the programs she used but it was great to see that a geologist can do so much more than what is expected. We don’t think of geologists trying to work around things like animals and as a hunter I think this is a great initiative to preserve the animals while still trying to get the resources we need. Astrid is an excellent presenter and I really enjoyed the presentation.

  5. Astrid’s lecture was impressive. It showed the fact that Geologists and Geoscientists are not “hunter” for natural resources who only care about which prey is worth for hunting and how to get it. They always keep in mind which species is in danger and what are the consequences every time they pull the trigger. Their job is to provide human a better life in the main time keep an eye on the health condition of our mother planet. Like Caribou, there are many other species in danger due to human activity, not only oil industry, those “clean energy” are not 100% environmental friendly. Astrid mentioned how much is the government profit from a barrel of oil. From what I see there is no reason to phase out the “cash printer” when it still makes lots of money.

  6. I really like Astrid’s lecture about oil and gas industry. She gave us a lot information about the industry that we don’t usually know as a student. Especially after doing the big project, I just realized that the geologist need to consider a lot in terms of making a decision for exploration. We are not only think about exploring the most profitable area, but also need to consider if that decision can bring the least influence on natural system. I’m glad that Astrid reminded us the responsibility we should have. And there are often more complex situations in real case than what we did on Geoscout.

  7. I found that Astrids talk was very interesting. I found most interesting the financial breakdown per barrel of oil. I thought it was interesting how much CAPEX and OPEX can take away from the overall earning from a company. We I calculated the amount of money we were making from our formation for the major project, I applied these numbers and realized that the company doesn’t actually take as much money from selling the oil as I expected. I also like how Astrid spoke about corporate responsibility and how it is important for oil and gas companies to work with the government to achieve regulations set down by the Federal government.

  8. The talk by Astrid was interesting on a number of fronts. The present ion provided a different perspective on the oil and gas industry in regards than the media portrays. The focus of the talk was interesting in that it was not solely on geology and oil extraction but included regulatory framework, conservation, and the environment. Also the dollar value and percentages that royalties to the federal and provincial government make up was interesting to know. The maps and excel presentations were very well laid out and informative as well.

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