UNews - oil industry

New ULAA president looks to further engage alumni

trevor.kenney — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 15:50:08 +0000

The new ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association president understands the value of a community.

“I love growth, development and opportunity. Anything I can do to make things better for my community, for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ or my neighbourhood, I try to get involved in,” explains Grant Adamson (BSc ’03), who was elected as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association’s 26th president in July.

“Community involvement has been an unwritten part of my family philosophy forever; that goes back to growing up on a farm. Being on a farm is not a place where you can grow or develop on your own. You need community,” says Adamson. “About 10 years back we received a farm century award. It was pretty important to our family and community, but when I graduated from high school I wanted to see who I was away from the farm. Someone suggested I would be a good teacher, so I researched and found that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge had an excellent program for teachers and chose to come to Lethbridge.”

Grant Adamson, with his wife Rebecca, at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Donor Gala

Adamson, however, discovered he had no desire to teach, so in his second year he switched his studies to biology. That same year, he developed a severe case of mononucleosis and was subsequently unable to take a full course load for the next several years. It was then that he truly experienced the fellowship and support found within the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community.

“I was a very strong student academically going into university, but when I found myself suffering academically due to my health, I relied on services provided by the U of L. I sought out help when I needed it and I found it all over the place,” he says. “I became involved with the Organization of Residence Students, the Students’ Union and the curling club. My residence experience was particularly impactful because I got to be a part of governance and make a difference, which I loved. I also met my wife Rebecca (BA/BEd ’99, MEd ’09) and her friend Janet, who would later become my sister-in-law. Being involved in extra-curricular activities was very fulfilling and kept me going until I was well enough to take on full course loads.”

As he began to take more advanced theoretical courses, Adamson could not imagine himself being confined to working in labs for the rest of his life. He began to wonder if it was time to take a small turn in his academic direction once again.

“After exiting from the C-stairwell on 7th, I’d always turned left toward the bio-tech labs. One day, I felt drawn to the geography labs so I turned right instead! I sat there for about an hour reading the presentation boards about the projects and research going on in the department. I saw displays about things I cared about and it played to my roots. That fall, I switched my program to geography. Finally, I could look to the future and visualize what my life would look like.”

Adamson graduated in 2003 and began his career in the oil industry, working in environmental sciences. After the project he was working on shut down, he spent several years pursuing an interest in real estate investment, but his agricultural heritage always beckoned. In 2007, everything came together when Adamson began working with hybrid canola seed production at Monsanto Canada Inc. It was the perfect combination of biotechnology and agriculture all in one. Three years later, Adamson accepted a position at Dow AgroSciences where he continues to work as their lead agronomist for canola seed production in southern Alberta, the Pacific Northwest and Chile. One of his secondary duties is liaising with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, recruiting students to work with Dow AgroSciences as summer interns and potentially as long-term employees.

“The hybrid canola seed industry relies heavily on student interns in the summer, as it is extremely busy during this season,” says Adamson, who is happy to support students through his work and as a member of the ULAA. “The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ is a great supplier of excellent students who have a background in, or knowledge of, agriculture, or who are willing to learn about it.”
Adamson became involved with the ULAA in 2005. He has served as a director, treasurer and vice-president and was elected as president in July.

“I got involved with the association because I missed the connection with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Participation with the ULAA is a great way for alumni to foster and maintain that link. As part of the executive, I have seen the association become increasingly involved in the community and take on a more formal role. My goal is to lead the maturation and formality process. With 36,480 alumni coming of age in the workforce, we are at a tipping point. I encourage alumni to reconnect and get involved. We want to hear about your stories, your successes and your adventures.”

GET THE FACTS

• Adamson is very proud of his family connection to the U of L – his wife Rebecca (BA/BEd ’99, MEd ’09), sister-in-laws Janet Adamson (BA/BEd ’00), Lauren Adamson (BSc ‘ 04) and brother Lowell Adamson (BSc ’04) are all a part of the alumni family

• Adamson has been a member of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Senate since 2011

• A former member of the board of directors for the Youth Federation of Canada, Adamson also serves as a construction volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, of which his wife is the organization’s local vice-chair

• The 2013 ULAA Executive consists of Adamson as president, vice-president Randy Kobbert (BMgt ’86), past president Kathy Lewis (BN ’83, MEd ’99), treasurer Jason Baker (BMgt ’02) and secretary Sharon Malec (BEd ’73)

Co-op placement opens doors for Flood

trevor.kenney — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:47:24 +0000

Finding a job without experience can be difficult. But it can be made far easier with the help of a co-op placement. Just ask Trevor Flood.

The 1999 ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge grad completed five co-op terms before earning his bachelor of management degree, giving him an important edge in finding meaningful employment. Flood is now a supervisor with Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL), handling royalty reduction programs within the oil and gas industry.

"We're responsible for a number of different areas but the primary focus is gas cost allowances and

Alumnus Trevor Flood gives back to the co-op program that helped him shape his career.

equalizations," he says of his 11-person team.

"We've seen a significant reduction in drilling in Alberta because of the new royalty program. In some ways it's good, because it's helped slow things down as far as what I see coming through Alberta, which is my group's core area."

Flood started at the U of L in fall 1996 after completing a two-year program at Red Deer College. He initially found it hard to land a co-op opportunity but ended up with his first placement at the Red Deer United Way. After that, he began an eight-month co-op at the U of L Management Co-op office, a position that ended up changing his life.

"That was a great job and it allowed me to be a co-op student but still be at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and still experience university life. I learned about the recruiting process and a lot about career development, making sure you set yourself up for a career path that will take you where you want to go," says Flood.

"It really set me up nicely, because I met some really good people. And because of the contacts I made there I was able to line up another position in Calgary with Gulf Canada. That led me into the oil and gas industry, which is what I knew I wanted to do."

Following his final eight-month co-op with Gulf Canada, Flood was able to land another position within the industry before moving into his role with CNRL. This happened, he says, largely because of the U of L's continuing co-op program.

"When I was coming out of university the oil industry was in terrible shape. Nobody was hiring. But because I had a little bit of experience and made some good contacts, I was still able to get in there," he says.

"I think the co-op programs have a huge value. From the student's perspective, you get your foot in the door with great companies. It was a great transition for me from full-time student to part-time student to full-time employee."

Now that he's in a position to do so, Flood has started to use co-op students with CNRL.

During the past five years he has hired five co-op students as a way to ensure the program continues.

"We like to utilize that route whenever we're able to. Generally, they come in and get great experience. They do very similar duties to the full-time people. Most of them pick things up extremely well," says Flood.

"The learning curve is pretty steep for them but it's not insurmountable, so we see a lot of value in it. As long as CNRL continues to place an emphasis on hiring co-op students, I will be involved with the co-op programs."

To learn more about the Faculty of Management at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, visit this link.

Distinguished Alumnus, Dr. Doug Schmitt

trevor.kenney — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:32:12 +0000

During the Cold War era, the sight and sound of massive test explosions detonated at Suffield, Alta., likely inspired fear and dread in the average person.

Dr. Douglas Schmitt (BSc '80), however, professor of geophysics and physics at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's 2008 Distinguished Alumnus of the year award winner, is anything but average.

For Schmitt, who was five years old at the time, the explosions proved very intriguing. "My mom told me it was the scientists who blew things up; so from then on I wanted to be a scientist," explains Schmitt.

That love of science would continue and after graduating from Erle Rivers High School (Milk River), Schmitt entered the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge where he earned a bachelor of science in physics in 1980.

"The U of L was a really good place for me to go to school at that time in my life," remembers Schmitt. "I was in the physics program which was really small at the time. The professors were great. They were accessible, not condescending; we had no fear of talking to them. They treated us like colleagues and gave us the background to keep learning."

Schmitt lived in residence during his four years at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and developed many lasting friendships and fond memories. He was active in the Residence Students' Association and served as both a floor rep and treasurer.

"We ran the pop machines, washers and dryers. We had a lot of fun activities. I worked with a good group of people," says Schmitt. In his last year at the U of L, Schmitt was undecided about what to do with the rest of his life. Fortune then smiled upon him.

"I was walking down ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall when I ran into one of the former lab instructors, Dave Hemmings. He asked if I wanted a job and I said, "Sure." I interviewed and got a job at Texaco in geophysics," explains Schmitt. "Before I got the job, I didn't know anything about geophysics so, in a sense, a chance encounter at the U of L set the course of my life and I am glad it happened."

Schmitt returned to graduate school at the California Institute of Technology and earned a PhD in geophysics in 1987. Following his post-doctoral research at Stanford ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in California, he began his current career at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta in 1989. He is a popular professor who inspires students to always continue learning.

"I think the best way to teach students is to give them the tools and skills to keep growing and learning, to teach them not to be afraid to get their hands dirty and to keep their minds open," says Schmitt.

An interactive professor, each year Schmitt takes his fourth year geophysics students to Doug's Geophysics Field School (near his family farm east of Milk River), giving them the opportunity to perform a variety of geophysical experiments and gather data they will work with for the rest of the semester.

As a Tier I Canada Research Chair, Schmitt also leads a team of highly skilled field and laboratory researchers. Their world-renowned research yields valuable information with important implications for better management of hydrocarbon production in the oil industry, the search for new mineral and water resources, the safe geological sequestration of greenhouse gases and the safety of mine workers worldwide.

It all fits into his philosophy of continued learning and growth as he continues to work on numerous projects, including a major venture he is currently spearheading that involves scientific drilling into the deep permafrost of Canada's Arctic regions.

Those explosions in the 1960's? They were in large part geophysics experiments, as Schmitt found out only after he was a professor at the U of A.

UNews - oil industry

New ULAA president looks to further engage alumni

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Co-op placement opens doors for Flood

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Distinguished Alumnus, Dr. Doug Schmitt

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