Brief Biography
Terry Young has worked for a service company, a major oil company (both in
research and in operations), and a university.
After earning an undergraduate degree in English from Stanford University,
Young served as a pilot in the U.S. Navy. He earned both an MSc in geophysical
engineering and a PhD in geophysics from Colorado School of Mines, and then
taught for three years on the geophysics faculty at Mines before going into
industry. Young spent 18 years in industry, first at CGG, then Mobil R&D, and
later at Mobil North Sea Ltd, both in London and Aberdeen. In his last
assignment with Mobil, Young worked on a research team at Carnegie Mellon
University doing both geophysical and medical imaging. In 2000, Young returned
to Colorado School of Mines, where he is currently professor and head of the
Department of Geophysics.
Young was elected secretary-treasurer of SEG for 2001-2002. He chaired SEG s
Finance Committee in 2001-2002, and continued as a member in 2002- 2004. During
his term as secretary-treasurer, Young served as liaison between the Executive
Committee and the Steering Committee for SEG s 2002 Annual Meeting in Salt Lake
City. For the 2002 Annual Meeting he also chaired the Applied Science Education
Program that featured oceanographer Robert Ballard. Young has been a member of
SEG s Research Committee and has helped organize and chair technical sessions at
previous annual meetings.
He is currently serving as general chairman for SEG s 2004 Annual Meeting in
Denver.
Position Statement for Election to President
The geophysics profession has seen significant changes in the last two
decades. Lines between geo disciplines have blurred. Emphasis in the petroleum
sector has shifted from exploration to production geophysics.
Opportunities have arisen for geophysics to impact such diverse areas as
water, precision agriculture, alternative energy, subsurface construction,
utility infrastructure monitoring, toxic waste disposal, geohazard mitigation,
climate change, and planetary exploration. Meanwhile, the population of
geophysicists has dwindled. The number of students now pursuing degrees in the
geosciences is one-third the number two decades ago. As a large demographic
segment advances toward retirement, a potential shortage of geophysicists looms
on the horizon.
What are the implications of these changes for SEG? First, as our membership
becomes increasingly international, the focus of the Society (meetings,
publications, services) should also be more international. Second, to take
advantage of broader opportunities to impact our profession, SEG should foster
multidisciplinary cooperation through joint meetings and publications with other
professional societies. Third, we need to expand our appeal to a broader
cross-section of young people who will become the geophysicists of tomorrow.
