SPE News
Three experts were recognized with the Pioneer Award at the 2026 SPE Improved Oil Recovery Conference in Tulsa for their technological contributions to improved oil recovery.
JPT is recruiting reviewers to help select high‑impact SPE conference papers for publication. If you have technical expertise and a passion for sharing knowledge, this leadership role could be for you.
SPE has restructured its global events organization to better align with evolving business priorities and regional needs, strengthening regional leadership with the appointments of Michelle Tan and Michael Ryan as vice presidents for the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, respectively.
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J. Roger Hite, SPE regional director for the Gulf Coast North America region, died 15 February. He was the founder and principal at Inwood Solutions. Hite was also the owner of Blackhorse Energy, and previously operated the Business Fundamentals Group. Earlier, he worked at Shell Oil in numerous roles, serving as engineering manager, manager of production technology, … -
The SPE Board of Directors has revised its structure, accepting recommendations from a task force that studied its geographical and technical makeup. Board membership will be reduced from 27 to 19 under this revision. Changes to the board structure will be phased in over the next 3 years as the terms of current board members end.
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An overview of honors and awards SPE members are eligible for from SPE’s founder society American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME), United Engineering Foundation, and American Association of Engineering Societies.
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On October 19th, 1957 the Society of Petroleum Engineers was officially founded as a constituent society of AIME. [SPE became a separately incorporated organization in 1985.]
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Every year, SPE recognizes members who have made an exceptional effort to ensure the technical excellence of the Society’s peer-reviewed journals. For their contributions, the following individuals are recipients of the 2017 Outstanding Technical Editor Award.
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After 50 years of continuous membership in SPE, a member is automatically inducted into the Legion of Honor. The following members (listed by section) have reached that status in 2017.
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Orville D. Gaither, 1990 SPE President and an SPE Foundation trustee, died 29 June. Gaither’s presidency was marked by the opening of several international SPE sections and his extensive traveling to visit members around the world. When recollecting his presidency, Gaither often used “Enroute” to sum up the year, in which he journeyed 25,000 miles in commercial airlin…
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Chris Nussbaum, SPE, died 5 May. He was the chairman of the SPE Aberdeen Section from 2009 to 2011. Nussbaum was interpretation development advisor at Archer UK, where he provided expert technical support in log processing and interpretation services for the global wireline division. He joined Archer in 2011 as data services manager. Nussbaum was the chief executive o…
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Noel D. Rietman, SPE, died 4 March. He was 83. Rietman was the SPE President in 1987 and the president of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers in 1994. Much like the current year, Rietman’s year of SPE presidency saw the industry go through a downturn, with oil prices dropping steeply in 1986. In the May 2016 JPT issue, 2016 SPE Pre…
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Joseph John (Joe) Taber died 29 December 2016 at the age of 96. He was a Distinguished Member of SPE and the Improved Oil Recovery Pioneer Awardee in 1990 from SPE and the Department of Energy.
