"Soaring involves finding thermals, or rising air, and then turning in circles to rise with it. No two flights are ever the same."

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Dean Charles Mikkelsen

Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada - November 1970
B.S. Surveying/Geomatics Engineering

University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 1994

Applied Environmental Management Certificate

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 1995

Petroleum Land & Contracts

Mount Royal College, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 1996

Fields of Work

Registered as a Professional Engineer with the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists, & Geophysicists of Alberta. Founding member of the Americas Petroleum Survey Group. Member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

Areas of interest outside work:

Downhill skiing, soaring/gliders, hiking, swimming, travel and reading (history, politics)

I grew up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada - hence I fell into the oil industry from birth. I tried to avoid it by getting a degree in Surveying Engineering, but to no avail. I joined Schlumberger in January of 1997 in Houston, Texas, USA. Prior to joining Schlumberger, I worked as a consultant providing software development and for another service company. I also attended school learning about Petroleum Land and Contracts and Environmental Management.

A common question is what is a Survey Engineer or Geomatics Engineer? In addition to fundamental surveying and land tenure knowledge, Geomatics Engineers are trained in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and signal processing, computer programming, hydrography, remote sensing, photogrammetry, geodetic positioning, surface modeling, gravity field, project management, land use planning; and survey law/property rights, in addition to fundamental mathematics and physics. My main interest has been Geodesy, GPS and GIS.

Currently I am involved in Data Management - where almost every aspect of the oil and gas industry has a spatial (location) element related to it - which is where a Geomatics Engineer can play a role. From determining the location of a well, the legal boundaries for leases and concessions, to how does it relate to acquired seismic locations and so on. Involvement can be through consulting, software development, mathematical modeling, to teaching about programming, data modeling, cartography and geodesy.

Outside of work, I keep busy with travel, swimming, downhill skiing, and soaring. Soaring involves finding thermals, or rising air, and then turning in circles to rise with it. No two flights are ever the same.