As Thailand is facing a shortage of petroleum geologists, Chevron-CMU jointly offers a summer camp for Mathayom 5 students with an aim to grow awareness and interests in the field.

Geology is a science concerned with the history of the Earth, its origin and its development as recorded in rocks or fossils. This science covers processes that affect the Earth like volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods and tsunamis along with the evolution of living things.

With such knowledge, geologists can tell not only what happened in the past but also where one can find natural resources, be it water, minerals, coals, petroleum or natural gas.

Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production, a leading oil and gas manufacturer, has come up with a plan to encourage Thai youths to pursue their interest in geology and develop a career as petroleum geologists.

The job of a petroleum geologist involves surveying each target area to determine whether there is any oil there and if excavation will be cost effective.

In collaboration with the Chiang Mai University (CMU), Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production organised the 5th Geoscience Camp to ignite Thai youths' interest in geology and to provide them with geological knowledge.

Students learned about rocks, minerals, maps and exploration in the first step on a path towards a career as a geologist.

Chevron Thailand human-resources manager Dr Natthawut Pongsiri said a geologist's role in the petroleum industry is as important as that of an engineer.

He said that because no Thai students graduated with degrees in petroleum geology in the past, his company had to recruit candidates with good potential and send them to pursue a masters degree in the field in Brunei, Australia or Britain.

Dr Natthawut said his company also tried to tackle the shortage of Thai petroleum geologists by recruiting foreigners instead. Such a solution, however, came with a problem.

He pointed out that foreigners soon wanted to return to their home country and the cost involved was very high.

In a bid to solve the shortage of Thai petroleum geologists, Chevron Thailand decided to organise the Geoscience Camp for senior-secondary students so they can understand more about geology and learn of job opportunities in the petroleum industry.

According to Dr Natthawut, remuneration packages for petroleum geologists are as attractive as those for engineers.

Chevron has hired 10 out of 50 applicants vying for a post as a petroleum geologist. This means for this job, the ratio of applicants to successful candidates is 5:1.

But for the posts of engineers, the ratio of applicants to successful candidates is 100:1. This is because Chevron has recruited just 10 out of 1,000 engineer applicants.

''We want to give Mathayom 5 students an opportunity to clearly see what geology is. We want to make them understand that geologists do much more than just examine soil, rocks and minerals. This job is important especially in the petroleum industry.

''To pursue this career, students should be observant and creative. They should also understand that petroleum geologists can enjoy career advancement. Chevron is ready to give scholarships to geology students with a grade point average of 3.00 or better. The scholarship recipients can also get apprenticeships at Chevron,'' Dr Natthawut says.

He added that geology students will have to seek knowledge not just in the classroom but also in the field. Only after they examine the real geological structure on site will they be able to draw up a geological map and chronicle what has happened in the area.

Dr Natthawut concluded that geology students must have patience, creativity, passion for knowledge, problem-solving skills and practical sense in applying academic knowledge to real situations at work.

CMU geology lecturer Assoc Prof Dr Pisanu Wongpornchai said this year's Geoscience Camp had four main topics _ rocks, minerals, maps and exploration. The content was designed to match the students' level of geological knowledge and to help them under stand more of what the geologists were doing.

''A career as a geologist has its appeal. Geologists work rather independently. They can work anywhere, in the jungle or on a mountaintop. There's no humdrum. Every field has its unique characteristics. The atmosphere in which the geologists work keeps changing. It offers a big challenge but much fun. The job is fascinating because while others don't know what lies underground, geologists have the answers,'' Prof Pisanu said.

Pansa Saengtakan, or Kwan, who attended the 2nd Geoscience Camp, is now a fourth-year student at the Geological Science Department of CMU's Faculty of Science. She told of her wonderful experience at the camp and the benefits it brought her.

The camp activities, she added, taught her to apply her geological knowledge to things around her. For example, Pansa can give useful advice about how to avoid floods, landslides and earthquakes to local people. To her, geologists are very much like ''Earth doctors'' and their knowledge can help society.

''I decided to study geology after attending the Geoscience Camp. I believe my personality will allow me to work well as a geologist. I have also got an opportunity to become a trainee at Chevron.

''There, I see the management system of the company _ which is very good. Equality is there. All employees, male or female, foreign or Thai, follow the same rules. They work together as equals.

''Geologists at Chevron also enjoy career advancement just like people working in other fields. Moreover, Chevron has given scholarship/training opportunities to its employees on a regular basis. This means one can improve one's abilities and skills all the time,'' Pansa said.sidebar

Wongsathorn Theprat, or Turk, a Mathayom 5 student at the Mahidol Wittayanusorn School, was among the participants in the 5th Geoscience Camp. He said this camp gave him much more than he expected.

''I got to see layers of rocks in 3D images. They are so beautiful and amazing. I also had a lot of fun on the field trips to Doi Kham.

''It's very challenging but that allows me to work with the real thing. It allowed me to see very clearly what geologists do,'' he said.

YOUNG SCIENTISTS EVOLVING

Wongsathorn Theprat, or Turk, a Mathayom 5 student at the Mahidol Wittayanusorn School, was among the participants in the 5th Geoscience Camp. He said this camp gave him much more than he expected.

"I got to see layers of rocks in 3D images. They are so beautiful and amazing. I also had a lot of fun on the field trips to Doi Kham.

"It's very challenging but that allows me to work with the real thing. It allowed me to see very clearly what geologists do," he said.

Wongsathorn wants to become a petroleum geologist. He finds the job not just challenging but also very important to the country.

Sirasit Suchatlikhitwong, or Prat, a Mathayom 5 student at the Triam Udom Suksa School, said he has always had a great interest in geology.

He was impressed with the fact that the Geoscience Camp gave him opportunities to work with real geological equipment and gain new perspectives on geology.

"Thanks to this camp, I can divide rocks into their main categories. Although I can't identify all rocks, at the very least I can tell about their origins.

"Now I've got a clearer picture about the formation of the Earth. I know how the Earth was formed, and know about various types of rock on the earth.

"Elements in the soil, rocks and minerals can tell us what has happened over a long period of time if we know how to analyse them. Proper analyses also helps with the exploration of oil and natural gas," Sirasit said. Before joining the Geoscience Camp, he just had very basic geological knowledge.

Another participant, Maneerat Jantrakul, or Pat, from the Khon Kaen Wittayayon School, said the camp was useful to students mulling over whether they should study geology at the university level.

"Through the camp activities, all of us found out if we really liked and will excel in geology. The camp made us realise whether we should pursue geology or other fields like engineering or medicine," she said.

Chevron Thailand hopes the Geoscience Camp will boost Thai youths' interest in geology and expand their horizons. The camp is also expected to provide inspiration for participants to pursue a degree in geology.

Soon, Thailand may find great geologists in the Geoscience Camp's former participants. Trained geologists can indeed make huge contributions to the country's development.