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Geology and Geophysics Hosts "Reconnecting" Social PDF Print E-mail

The Advisory Council for the Department of Geology & Geophysics at Texas A&M hosted three hundred former students, faculty, and current students for the first Greater Houston Aggie Social, held at the Houston Petroleum Club on October 4th. The theme of the night was “reconnecting,” referring to reconnecting the Department of Geology & Geophysics with the Oil and Gas Industry which is so prevalent in Houston. The event was sponsored by Mr. Dan A. Hughes ’51 and Mr. Dan Allen Hughes ’80.

Ron McWhorter of Devon Energy Corporation and Chairman of the Advisory Council was the emcee for the evening. Other keynote speakers were the Interim Executive Vice President and Provost of Texas A&M Dr. Jerry Strawser, Dean of the College of Geosciences Dr. Björn Kjerfve, and newly appointed Geology & Geophysics Department Head Dr. Andreas Kronenberg.

Inspiration for the event was a product of a commitment made by the Department of Geology & Geophysics’ Advisory Council and faculty. Last spring, the Advisory Council with the facilitation of Carlos Dengo, VP of Exploration at ExxonMobil, worked in collaboration with the Geology & Geophysics faculty for three days of workshops and countless hours of strategic planning. The first product of these efforts was the department’s Strategic Objective- that was highlighted at the October 4th event: “Build a Geoscience community of students, staff, and faculty who excel through collaborative pursuits in teaching, research, and service.”

Attendees included George Mitchell ’40, developer of the Woodlands and member of the Board of Devon Energy Corporation and David Eller ’59, former chairman of the Texas A&M University Board of Regents and namesake of the David G. Eller Oceanography & Meteorology Building. Dan A. Hughes and Dan Allen Hughes, the evening’s sponspors, were present and attracted a great number of Former Students, and classmates from the classes of ‘51 to ’54. Industry executives from companies such as ExxonMobil, Schlumberger, ConocoPhilips, and Chevron and many others were also in attendance.

Members of the Texas A&M University Geology & Geophysics Advisory Council that hosted the event include Diane Barron, William Barkhouse, Lee Billingsley, Kellam Colquitt, Carlos Dengo, Alan Huffman, Tom LaHouse, Dusty Marshall, Ron McWhorter, Dan Pedrotti, Stephen Sonnenberg, Carl Steffensen, Catherine Strong, and William Thomas.

“The night was a wonderful demonstration of our commitment to reconnect our world-class faculty to this vibrant, thriving industry,” said Diane Barron, Director of Development for the College of Geosciences. “Not only did we physically bring our faculty and students to the Petroleum Club, but each speaker on the platform shared their perspectives on how ‘reconnecting’ is of such great importance to us - which clearly highlights our alignment within the department, our college, and this great university.”