Science Café OSU community series to offer more insights on the oil and gas industry

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

A popular community series that explains the science behind oil and gas exploration and production will again provide experts to field questions from the public on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 6:30 p.m. in the Stillwater Public Library. Science Café Oklahoma State University will host the fifth community informational meeting titled “Forum: Oil and Gas Exploration Updates,” which will also feature reports and discussion on related community issues, laws and regulations, and the industry’s economic impact.

Speakers will include Dr. Todd Halihan, OSU professor of hydrogeophysics; Amberlee David, a seismologist with the Oklahoma Geological Survey; and David DeLaO, vice president of operations and technical services for Chesapeake Energy. They will present science, agency, or industry updates, which will be followed by a structured question and answer session.

The Science Café OSU community series on the oil and gas industry was launched this summer with 281 people attending the four sessions. Many participants encouraged organizers to continue the series, saying the information offered them important insights on the issues involved:

“I understand more about how complex this is and recommend that we . . . repeat the series or do similar ones,” wrote an attendee in a survey.

“I was concerned that operation of wells was proceeding much faster than research about the effects of the operation of those wells,” wrote another in attendance. “These sessions have shown me how inadequate my personal knowledge is . . . Many of my questions have been answered.”

The OSU Library has an online guide with information about previous community oil and gas programs, links to public resources and frequently asked questions: http://info.library.okstate.edu/sciencecafeosu

Science Café OSU community series sponsors include the OSU Library, Stillwater Public Library, the OSU Chapter of Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society and the office of the OSU Vice President for Research.

All events are free and open to the public. For information, contact the OSU Library at 405-744-2376 or email lib-pub@okstate.edu. Information is also available by visiting the Stillwater Public Library website atlibrary.stillwater.org, emailing askalibrarian@stillwater.org or calling 405-372-3633.

The Stillwater Public Library is located at 1107 S. Duck St.