Ronald Nelson attended OSU's Geology Field Camp as an undergraduate. Ronald finished his B.S. in 1970 from Northern Illinois University, his M.S. in 1972 from Texas A&M University, and his Ph.D. in 1975 from Texas A&M University. Ronald is a Geologist and technical specialist in fractured reservoirs and structural geology. He has spent 22 years with Amoco Research and international operations, 2 ½ years with BPAmoco as head of the Structural Geology Community and as a technology manager, and 17 years as President and geologist of Broken N Consulting.
Contact: nelson_consulting@hotmail.com
"OSU gave me a firm foundation in key geologic concepts and classes and provided me with the skills and experience needed to perform high-level quantitative research. I also made excellent friends in the grad program that I still keep in touch with (and sometimes collaborate with) today."
Where has your degree taken you?
After my BS degree, I attended Texas A&M University with a mix of teaching and research assistance ships and fellowships. My BS emphasized Paleontology, while my MS was in igneous geochemistry and my PhD was in structural geology and rock mechanics. Upon graduation in 1975, I went to Amoco Research in Tulsa OK and after 5 years became the first Supervisor of Structural Geology Research. In 1986 I transferred to the Amoco Africa & Middle East Region in Houston as a member of Regional Staff and eventually a Manager in the Amoco Technology Group. In 1999 we were purchased by PB where I served as a Structural Geology Specialist. I have been an active member of the AAPG for 40 years serving as Vice President and twice running for President. I have been awarded the AAPG Robert R. Berg Outstanding Research Award. This award was also given to Michael D. Lewan my old classmate at Northern Illinois University and who took the OSU summer field camp with me in Utah. I have about 110 citable publications, including 2 editions of a geological textbook entitled “Geological Analysis of Naturally Fractured Reservoirs”, 1985, 2001.
How do you feel your experience, specifically as an SES/geology student at OSU, prepared you for your career or life in general?
Attending the OSU summer field camp in Ephram, UT gave me the opportunity to work with other geological students from a different teaching background and see things from another perspective. Indeed, both of my field study partners were from OSU.
What is your favorite memory as a student?
My most memorable experience in the OSU field camp was the week we toured the national parks. At each stop, a different student was responsible for giving the geology of the area and why it was important. It was good geology and valuable experience for the future.
What advice do you have for current and future students?
Before geology was my major, I was a biologist and chemist. In my degrees, I emphasized biology, geochemistry, and physics. Once I was called scientifically fickle by a professor. My advice is to follow what you like and make sure you are scientifically well-rounded because geology is an integrated science and you need to be able to communicate across the board with others on an equal basis.