Oil & Gas Week 2014 set to launch

Oil & Gas Week is now just days away.

Our 12^th annual week long celebration runs from Monday, February 24 to Saturday, March 1.

Aimed at celebrating the many accomplishments and contributions of our industry and its employees, and educating Newfoundland & Labrador students about career opportunities within the industry, there are a variety of events scheduled.

This year’s Oil & Gas Week will have a special focus on geosciences and will be celebrated under the theme: Building a Strong Future on a Rock Solid Foundation.

The week begins informally tomorrow evening with a pre-launch event – a Food Drive Fundraiser at Shamrock City, Water Street – from 4:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Cover charges will be donated to the Community Food Sharing Association.  Door prizes will be awarded.  Gather a few friends from work and drop by to contribute to this worthy cause.

The week’s Official Launch and Reception will be hosted by Memorial University’s Earth Sciences Department at the Alexander Murray Building at 11 a.m. on Monday, February 24.  Event speakers will include the Honourable Derrick Dalley, Minister of Natural Resources and Dr. Gary Kachanoski, President and Vice-Chancellor of Memorial University.  In keeping with this year’s theme, the keynote speaker will be Alison Newell, a Memorial Geology/Geophysics graduate working with Husky Energy’s subsurface exploration team, who will speak about her career path and experiences in the oil & gas industry.  As well, four post-secondary students will be awarded Oil & Gas Week Scholarships.  During the reception, junior high school students will demonstrate their projects completed as part of the Oil & Gas Week Career Exploration Program.

Energy Day – Exploring Careers in Oil & Gas will be held on Tuesday, February 25 at the Johnson GEO CENTRE, Signal Hill Road. This career exploration event for high school students will provide the opportunity to meet people working in a variety of  careers in the oil & gas industry, take part in panel presentations and visit tradeshow-style displays. Energy Day continues to be a success each year and has drawn in several thousand students over the past seven years. Post-secondary students – particularly those interested in oil & gas industry careers – and the general public are invited to attend  between 2:30 – 4:00 p.m.

A free public lecture,  “Road to Riches: The Onshore and Offshore Newfoundland Oil Story” will be held at the Johnson GEO CENTRE on Wednesday, February 26 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.  Geologists Harry Klassen of the C-NLOPB and Larry Hicks of the provincial Department of Natural Resources will take you on a journey of discovery describing onshore and offshore petroleum during the past 50 years.

Noia’s 2014 Industry Achievement Awards Gala will take place on Thursday, February 27 from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland. The event will honour Sam Allen as recipient of Noia’s Outstanding Contribution Award and Karen Winsor as the first recipient of Noia’s new Rising Star Award.

Also on Thursday, February 27,  Explore the Opportunities: A Newfoundland & Labrador Geoscience Update will take place at the Johnson GEO CENTRE from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.  Organized by Nalcor Energy, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Geological Survey of Canada, the event will highlight current research initiatives underway in NL, as well as plans for the upcoming year. Presenters from government, industry and academia will explore the opportunities in the province’s oil & gas sector and promote the importance of research and development.

The week will wrap up on Saturday, March 1, with the Oil & Gas Industry Food Drive and Fundraiser in support of the Community Food Sharing Association. Oil & gas industry employees will collect food and cash donations at four Dominion stores in the metro St. John’s area – Quidi Vidi Lake, Blackmarsh Road, Mount Pearl and Conception Bay South.