This week saw the start of the amazing ReDeveLoP 2019 conference in downtown Calgary. For those of you unfamiliar with ReDeveLoP, it stands for Responsible Development of Low-Permeability Hydrocarbon Resources. ReDeveLoP is a recent government-funded student training program, led by Dr. David Eaton (Geoscience Department, University of Calgary). Other academic partners include the University of Alberta, Toronto, Waterloo and Western Ontario. Dr. Tom O'Neill (UofC Industrial-Occupational Psychology) leads the student training in communication and conflict management. ReDeveLoP focuses on training young researchers in the responsible development of unconventional O&G resources.
Each year ReDeveLoP students are divided into teams to assess an existing or emerging energy topic that resonates with Canadians. Each team elects a Project Manager and conducts professional meetings on a weekly basis. The student teams take part in a competition (The ReDeveLoP Challenge), and the winning team is awarded a prize at our Annual Innovation Conference. Team members are introduced to university professors, industry partners and Indigenous leaders who serve as resources and mentors to the students.
At the 2019 ReDeveLoP Challenge , Mr. Wills, President of Waterline Resources Inc., served as an industry dragon to help judge the winner amongst 4 very well qualified, multi-disciplinary teams. The assessment included dragon’s Q&A with the team members, after each team had presented a poster, a 90-sec video and a 15-min presentation. The team topics spanned wastewater disposal, alternate fracking fluids, induced seismicity and a modification to the current AER Traffic Light System regarding hydraulic fracking-related seismic events. The 2019 ReDeveLoP Challenge students were absolutely amazing, and the O&G sector can only benefit from these future leaders. For more information on the ReDeveLoP program, please visit https://www.ucalgary.ca/science/redevelop/