The New Critter: Digital Energy Professional

At the 2009 SPE Digital Energy Conference this week in Houston, there were a number of titles used to describe the people who will be running the digital oilfields of the future, e-fields, i-fields, smart fields, integrated operations, or whatever you call the automated, computerized oil industry initiative at your company. Digital Petroleum Engineer was suggested, but there are many geophysicists and geologists involved as well. Digital Engineer was suggested, but that refers to a position in the sound recording industry. PetroTechnical Professional was also suggested, but we may want to include smart grid electricity and renewables and nuclear in this digital technology. So I suggested Digital Energy Professional, which covers the whole gamut, and everybody in my panel discussion session nodded in agreement. The University of Houston’s Technology Department (Jack Christiansen) is developing a curriculum to hatch such a hybrid critter with energy know-how plus IT know-how, and he is looking for industry input and an advisory board. I volunteered, of course.

Love, Jeanne