JOM, Vol. 64, No.

7, 2012

DOI: 10.1007/s11837-012-0376-3 2012 TMS

End Notes

Materials science and engineering in our community

Get Involved: Art Schroeder, Offshore Technology Conference

Kelly Zappas
Get Involved is a recurring End Notes feature that spotlights the work of TMS volunteers and shows the wide range of activities available through TMS. This month, Art J. Schroeder, Jr., chief executive ofcer of Energy Valley, Inc. discusses his work as the TMS representative to the Offshore Technology Conference. For more on TMS volunteer opportunities, visit volunteer.tms.org. Q. Could you briey describe the Offshore Technology Conference? A. Founded in 1969, the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) organizes the worlds foremost events for the development of offshore resources in drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection. OTC ranks among the largest 200 trade shows held annually in the United States and is among the 10 largest meetings in terms of attendance. Attendance for the May 2012 event reached a 30-year high of 89,000 and incorporated the largest exhibit space in its history at over 630,000 with more than 2,500 exhibiting companies. OTC included attendees from more than 110 countries at recent conferences. OTC is sponsored by 13 industry organizations and societies, including TMS, who work cooperatively to develop the technical program and run the organization. Q. What is your role in the OTC? A. OTC is governed by a Board of Directors made up of 13 representatives, 11 from OTCs sponsoring organizations. I am the director representing TMS. As a volunteer board member, I also serve on several committees. For 2012, I was on the Spotlight on New Technology and OTC Brasil board-level committees. Additionally I served as the Board Liaison to the Program Committee, The Next Wave Program, the University R&D Showcase, and helped co-sponsor our rst Speed Networking event. The work is varied with the common element of working with a large number of passionate volunteers and a small professional staff. Q. How did you rst get involved? A. I rst attended OTC in the late 1970s and then started serving on the Program Committee in 1986. This involved reviewing, grading, and selecting open-call submitted technical abstracts and identifying, assembling, and conducting special sessions on hot topics. Q. From your perspective, what were the highlights from OTC 2012? A. For me, it is all about re-connecting with friends from around the globe, many of which I only see once per year at OTC; meeting new people; and continuing my professional growth via attending technical sessions and visiting with experts on the exhibit oor. Particularly rewarding for me was The Next Wave session, which focuses on professionals with under ten years of experience in the industry. This exciting program invokes thought, promotes proactive leadership, and helps to arm young professionals with the keys to successful careers. Also exciting was our 2nd Annual OTC Dinner. After 41 years of OTC, we launched the dinner program in 2011, and it was a huge success, as was the one this year. The dinner serves as a great venue to present our most coveted OTC Distinguished Achievement Awards and kick-off OTC week. Additionally, part of the proceeds from this years dinner was donated to a very worthy non-prot humanitarian organization, Engineers without Borders. Q. What volunteer opportunities are available for TMS members? A. First, of course, is to attend the show. Second, submit an abstract for presentation! Next, join the TMS Program subcommittee. At this level, you are involved in shaping the technical content of the show. There are now actually four different programs under the OTC: x OTC Houston, held every year in May in Houston, Texas x OTC Brasil, which will take place October 8-10, 2013, in Rio de Janeiro x OTC Asia, an event under consideration that will need volunteers should it move forward in March 2014 x OTCs Arctic Technology Conference will take place December 3-5, 2012, in Houston, Texas Also, each year, the OTC Awards Committee considers major technological, humanitarian, environmental, and leadership contributions to the industry. Nominations for 2013 awards will close on September 1, 2012. To nominate, visit www.otcnet.org/pages/ awards/. If you are involved with oil and gas, you need to be at the show. While the focus is, of course, offshore, there is a tremendous amount of knowledge to be gained for someone working onshore.
Kelly Zappas is a contributing writer for JOM.

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