Society of Exploration Geophysicists - SEG Foundation

SEG Foundation

In 1958, the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) formed a trust to provide scholarships for students of geophysics. Thirty years later, in response to the needs of a growing industry, that trust was transformed into the SEG Foundation.

Today, the SEG Foundation supports cutting-edge programs that benefit SEG members, the corporations for which they work and the communities in which they live. Many of the high priority programs funded by the SEG Foundation help SEG members remain up-to-date with the latest career enhancing skills. Example programs include the Distinguished Instructor Short Course (DISC), the Honorary Lecturer program, SEG Forums, and the newly launched SEG Online.

Other programs bring together the leaders of tomorrow with the leaders of today, inspiring the next generation to pursue excellence in applied geophysics. Since 1956, the SEG Foundation scholarship program has been an acknowledged symbol of excellence for geoscience students around the world. Four thousand scholarships representing almost $5 million have been awarded to 1,900 individuals in the past 50 years. In addition to its ground breaking scholarship program, the SEG Foundation and its generous donors also fund student travel grants, leadership training, and field camps.

The SEG Foundation, along with SEG, developed a powerful response to two of the most pressing challenges facing the geoscience community: a growing demand for innovative technology and the need for visionary young talent. The response is a bold plan for the future that will raise geosciences to a new level of excellence. Dr. Leon Thomsen, then president of SEG, announced the plan on 24 September 2007 in San Antonio, Texas at the SEG Annual Meeting, “It is my pleasure to announce the launch of the Foundation’s major gift campaign, Advancing Geophysics Today, Inspiring Geoscientists for Tomorrow. The goal of the campaign is $15 million.” To date, more than $12 million has been raised.