Welcome to
The Mid-Continent Section of SPE
The Mid-Continent Section of SPE was founded on December 28, 1917. It predated, by two years, the establishment of the American Petroleum Institute (API). Today, the Mid-Continent Section has over 1,100 members located in Tulsa, Oklahoma USA and surrounding area. Our diverse membership comes from a mix of large (15 corporations with 10 or more members) and small businesses including major oil companies, independent producers, drilling contractors, well services, equipment suppliers, gas transmission, universities, government agencies, and consultants.
The Mid-Continent Section maintains a tradition as one of the most active of more than 140 SPE sections in the world. One of its more unique activities is an annual series of 30 weekly luncheons with guest speakers, started in 1965, and continued through the present for over 30 years. Total attendance was 1655 in 1995-96. Professionally produced videotapes of each speaker presentation are available on loan to members or for purchase by anyone.
Another unique activity is the origination and sponsorship of the biennial SPE/DOE Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) Symposium. The IOR started in 1969 as the Oil Recovery Symposium, later known as the Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Symposium. Since 1980, the meetings have been jointly sponsored with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) based in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. To date, the Mid-Continent Section has hosted 15 of these meetings. The most recent IOR Symposium, held in Tulsa on 21-24 April, 1996, attracted 754 Members and Exhibitors to the Plenary Session, Technical Sessions, Short Courses, and Exhibition. We are very proud of the professional organization and great volunteer effort of our IOR Committee.
The Mid-Continent Section of SPE is unique in its support of the SPE Distinguished Lecturer Series. Our financial contributions to the SPE Foundation in 1995, and again in 1996, fully-funded 1 of the approximately 28 Distinguished Lecturers in each of those years. Seven Distinguished Lecturers visited the Mid-Continent Section during the 1995-96 season.
Technology is our main interest, but Mid-Continent SPE members enjoy annual sporting events, too. In 1996, our Fall Roundup Scramble at Spunky Creek drew 220 golfers on August 19th. Our 1st Sporting Clays Tournament at Woods and Water attracted over 60 shooters on September 20th.
Additional activities include the annual Student Night where we host petroleum engineering students and faculty from the University of Tulsa for a social hour, dinner, and guest speaker. We also support the annual Progressing Cavity Pumps Workshop held in conjunction with the Tulsa University Artificial Lift Projects (TUALP) annual meeting.
We sponsor Continuing Education short courses, typically 4 per year, each ½ day in length. In 1995 we purchased a complete set of the SPE Video Short Courses. This comprehensive library of training films and textbooks provides members of the Mid-Continent Section with extensive opportunities to improve their petroleum engineering skills. To request a video short course, contact the Continuing Education Chairman.
The Mid-Continent Section publishes a monthly newsletter that is mailed to every member at the end of the month. The main purpose is to announce speakers, workshops, and related events for the coming month. The support of our many advertisers defrays nearly all of the printing and mailing costs. The Mid-Continent Section launched its web page in August 1996. This continues to grow as a source of both timely and archived information maintained for the benefit of our membership. If you would like to place an ad or announcement in our newsletter, contact the Editor. If you would like to place an item on our web page, contact the Chairman or the Webmaster.
The Mid-Continent Section publishes a convenient Membership Directory. It lists names, addresses, phone and fax numbers for all of our members, and is alphabetically organized both by individuals and by companies. To request a copy of the latest directory, contact the Membership Directory Chairman.
If you are a member of SPE International and work or reside in the Mid-Continent region, then you are automatically a member of the Mid-Continent Section. For many of our members, Section activities greatly enhance the value of SPE membership. This is reflected in the tremendous energy of the Mid-Continent Section--which is 100% voluntary and dedicated to the enrichment of practicing petroleum professionals.