16 continuing for a PhD at OSU, and numerous theses are in progress on a range of geologic topics in sedimentary geology and energy resource development. This was an exceptionally busy year for service activities, which include a range of committee activities around the university and various geological societies. I am a member of the US delegation to an ISO committee that is developing standards for CO2-enhanced oil recovery. I was privileged to serve as Technical Program Chair at the GSA South-Central Section Meeting in Stillwater, and was coconvener on a special session on shale gas at the GSA Annual Meeting in Baltimore. In addition, I am on the technical program committee for the upcoming AAPG Annual Conference and Exhibition in Calgary. Feel free to stop by and say hello next time you are in town, and please don’t hesitate to call or e-mail if I can be of assistance. Dr. Jim Puckette Associate Professor; Geoscience Education Chair; Petroleum Geology Despite the decline in petroleum prices, 2015 was an exciting and busy year. Research on the Woodford Shale, Mississippian limestone, and a number of other projects was sustained as industry support continued even with the decline in prices. Students who defended in 2015 that I was fortunate to advise Ibrahim Al Atwah, Jim Anderson, Katy Foltz, Jeff Miller and Coleton Sharp. Ibrahim examined the Woodford and Mississippian petroleum systems and documented different migration histories for oils produced from Mississippian reservoirs to the east and west of the Nemaha Uplift. Ibrahim was able to show that Mississippian and Woodford oils are distinct and demonstrated that the Mississippian section contains source rock. Ibrahim is continuing his research as a PhD student at Texas A&M University. Jim Anderson examined the Woodford Shale in central Oklahoma and deciphered internal stratigraphy, characterized controls on thickness and showed onlapping of the Woodford within paleovalleys developed on the pre-Woodford topography. Jim’s thesis was sponsored partially by RPSEA and supported by Devon Energy, where he is employed. Katy Foltz’s research was sponsored by RPSEA and focused on depositional and diagenetic patterns in the Woodford Shale in northern Oklahoma. Katy used several types of analyses to show that Woodford depositional patterns were influenced at multiple scales by stratification of the Woodford Sea. Katy is working in Houston for Noble Energy. Jeff Miller was one of Darwin’s students that I passively supervised following Darwin’s passing. Jeff refined the conodont biostratigraphy for the upper part of the Boone Group in the Ozarks, demonstrated that facies are diachronous and showed that the existing lithostratigraphy, if applied at the regional-scale, contributes to confusing correlations. Jeff is working for Devon Energy and continues to advise our current conodont research. Coleton Sharp worked on surface to subsurface correlation of the Sycamore Limestone in southern Oklahoma and used distribution patterns to document the magnitude of left-lateral movement along the Washita Valley Fault. Coleton is employed by Continental Resources in Oklahoma City. Our research team, in collaboration with faculty and students who are part of the Mississippian Consortium and the RPSEA shale teams, continues to research the Woodford Shale and Mississippian carbonates. Other areas of interest include the Medrano sandstone, Cleveland sandstone, Marmaton Group, upper Morrow sandstone and the Rush Springs Sandstone. Let us hope for a rebound in petroleum prices in 2016 and a positive climate for employment as our students graduate and start their careers. Dr. Tracy Quan Associate Professor; Geochemistry, Stable Isotope Geochemistry; Organic Paleoceanography and Sedimentary Geochemistry So much has happened in 2015 that it’s a bit overwhelming to think of all the events that occurred in the last 12 months. The most obvious accomplishment for me this past year was earning tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. While it was not the easiest of processes, I am forever grateful to the faculty, staff, students, and alumni who provided much needed support and assistance, which ranged from acquisition of data to assistance with research projects to an open ear for all of my many, many, many questions. I’m proud to be a member of the BPSoG faculty, and am looking forward continuing to develop research projects, mentor students, and teach classes for many years to come. Part of my tenure ‘celebration’ this summer was spending a week in Alabama in July with Jack Pashin and a handful of outside collaborators investigating the biogeochemical processes in the Black Warrior Basin coalbed methane play. We’re looking into evaluating the geochemical processes that occur in the basin by looking at the chemical composition and isotopic signals found in the produced water at the site. This geochemical analysis also aims to help characterize any organic compounds in the produced water that may cause environmental issues upon disposal. This project expands my research interests in the biogeochemical characterization of sedimentary systems to a new set of scientific questions and study sites, including biomarker detection and compound-class analyses. I am still
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAxMjk=