PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND PRACTICES - COLUMN 162
Topical Index-Table of Contents to the Professional Ethics and Practices Columns
A topically based Index-Table of Contents, “pe&p index.xls” cov ering columns, articles, and letters to the editor that have been referred to in the PE&P columns in Excel format is on the AIPG web site in the Ethics section. This Index-Table of Contents is updated as each issue of the TPG is published. You can use it to find those items addressing a particular area of concern. Suggestions for improvements should be sent to David Abbott,
dmageol@msn.com
Compiled by David M. Abbott, Jr., CPG-04570, 5055 Tamarac Street, Denver, CO 80238, 303-394-0321, fax 303-394-0543,
dmageol@msn.com
Young Professional Status Is Extended to 5 Years
In the lead topic of column 161 in the TPG, “Transitioning from Student to Young Professional Status,” I noted that extending the period during which one could be a Young Professional to 5 years had been suggested at the 2016 Annual Meeting and was on the list of proposed Bylaws changes. At its Winter meeting in January, the National Executive Committee made that change.
I would still like to receive your thoughts on transitioning from Student to Young Professional status.
Talk Length at
Conferences and Online Conferencing
In his “In Conference!” contribution to the December 2016 Geoscientist, Arjan Reesink notes that we spend a lot of time and money going to conferences that are supposed to be “opportunities for sharing, questioning, networking, and absorbing the latest insights.” Reality is that we spend a lot of conference time passively sitting in chairs listening to one or two all too brief presentations with real substance for our practice specialties and then to a number of talks that are “simplified too far for scrutiny, or pitched too high for comprehension.”
I realize that conference program com- mittees are trying to get lots of different talks and fit as many as possible into a schedule. Having lots of talks helps draw in attendees. And conference registra- tion fees provide significant amount of non-dues revenue that all professional societies are constantly seeking. But there’s not a lot one can present on a complex topic in 15 minutes if one allows for the expected 5 minutes for questions. Reesink proposes using video presenta- tions that don’t necessarily have the
time limitations of conferences and don’t require travel expenses and time as an alternative to traditional conferences.
While video presentation papers can help to solve the problems of presenta- tion length and the elimination of travel expenses, video presentations do not provide for the networking, sharing, and discussions that do occur at professional conferences. The importance of this less formal interaction is hard to measure but is very real. In addition, conferences that move around the country provide the opportunity for field trips in the vicinity of the conference’s location.
In March I presented a webinar on the fundamentals of professional ethics for AIPG and AGI that lasted about an hour. This webinar featured one of the drawbacks of video presentation, the lack of the ability to easily interact with the participants. Even though there was a means of asking questions, this still didn’t allow the rapid interchange of ideas that occurs with a live audience. At SME’s Annual meeting in February, I led a 2-hour professional ethics discussion following up on the November presenta- tion. This live presentation allowed for a number of interesting discussions of the topics presented by attendees.
While I don’t believe that video confer- ences will replace conventional profes- sional society meetings, I do believe that Reesink’s observations on the length of presentation time is worth serious con- sideration. If we want talks with depth, we must allow the time for that depth to be developed. Thirty-minute talks (25 presentation minutes and 5 question minutes), or longer should be consid- ered. And video presentations posted on YouTube or professional society websites may become a recognized way of present- ing professional research.
Correction to “USGS Inorganic Geochemical Lab Manipulated Data and Proving Your Data Are Accurate,” PE&P 160
The topic, “USGS Inorganic Geochemical Lab Manipulated Data and Proving Your Data Are Accurate,” appeared in Column 160 on pages 31-33 TPG. The first full sentence in the left col- umn on page 32 was less than clear. An improved version is, “Only by rigorous application of QA/QC protocols can one demonstrate that analytical and other sampling results are reliable.” The point is worth repeating and applies to all types of data collection.
Paleontological Resource Preservation and Mining
Tony Adkins, CPG-8159, alert- ed me to the proposed regulations to implement the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act of 2009 (PRPA),
www.federalregister.gov/docu- ments/2016/12/07/2016-29244/paleon- tological-resources-preservation. These proposed regulations directly address those who are exploring for and col- lecting fossils on federal lands, par- ticularly on more than a casual level. However, these regulations could impact some types of mining exploration. In particular, the Salt Wash Member of the Morrison Formation in the Four Corners area has been both the site of intense uranium exploration and min- ing since the 1950s and the site of some major dinosaur and other fossil loca- tions. Adkins notes, “Proposed § 49.15 would state that the proposed rule does not impose additional requirements on
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