Announcements

Event Calendar, 2013

Date/Time Event Location Extra Information
July 25 Field Cards Due to Brit Field Cards (see below) need to be completed and returned to Brit via email or FAX.
August 22
10:50 AM		 UT SVALEX Departs! ABIA Austin-Newark-Oslo-Tromsø-Longyearbyen
August 30
11:50 PM		 UT SVALEX Returns ABIA

General Announcements

October 11
September 18
Professor Hans Arne Nakrem has posted photos of the trip at http://folk.uio.no/hanakrem/svalex-2013/. Our own photos of the trip are being collected (until Oct. 1) at a UT Box site.  Participants can contact M. Helper (helper@jsg.utexas.edu) for a link.
August 15
Brit sent the following email this morning that, for unknown reasons, was not delivered to a few of you. The message refers to “…enclosed material…”, which are PDFs containing participants names and flight info. Please contact Brit directly for these documents if you have not already received them attached to the group email copied below. 

“Dear all,

I hope you are all well, and counting down for the departure for Svalex US 2013. I can’t wait !

Finally I received the tickets. This a group booking, or 4 group bookings, and you simply have to search the enclosed material to find your booking number (all persons in one group have the same booking number). Please download and print your booking (the file / sheet enclosed) and bring it along with your passport to check-in at the airport. Please verify that your name is correctly written in the enclosed files, as written in your passport, if not, you have to let me know immediately.

Please note that it is departure from Austin at two different times, one group leaving Austin airport at 06:18 am, the other group leaving Austin airport at 10:57 am. Make sure you meet up for the correct departure. I am not familiar with the airport in Austin, but it is advisable to meet up 2,5-3 hours before departure.

A few of you have already received the tickets.

You can use the fight against your frequent flyer program, something you have to deal with yourself.

If you are looking into changing, upgrading your flights or seat reservation, please ask United Airways, the issuing travel agent cannot do any changes to the itinerary. My concerned is issuing you a ticket, I do not interfere with how you deal with the booking afterwards, as long as you show up at Longyearbyen (LYR) 1:55 pm August 23rd.

Luggage, one piece of luggage can be checked in, 23 kg, the normal standard. Although the baggage is checked through to Longyearbyen (LYR), you need to collect your baggage at Oslo Airport for custom clearance. The same will apply on your return, custom clearance at New York Newark airport.

Please remember to pack warm clothes and shoes in your carry-on baggage, at least enough to survive for a day or two at Svalbard, just in case the checked-in luggage gets lost. It was 39 degrees F and rain in LYR today, it is a not a place you want to end up in only with your short, t-shirt and flip-flops. Take a minute to appreciate the weather in Texas nowadays J.

The ticket is a “through-out” ticket, meaning that it is one ticket from Austin to LYR, and one ticket from LYR to Austin, the airline is responsible for any delays or possible re-bookings.

Upon arrival at LYR, you will hopefully find me at the airport. We will take an airport bus from the airport to the center of Longyearbyen. Those of you who haven’t completed the First Aid course (approximately 15 people), will have to do that in LYR before embarkation of the vessel, Expedition. The lucky ones that ticked off the First Aid Course at UT in April can have a blast in Longyearbyen, but don’t miss the ship.

Embarkation of the vessel, Expedition, is set to 5 pm (time can change), August 23rd, 2013. Longyearbyen is not a big city, it is possible to walk to the ship from the city center. I will give you more details when you arrive at LYR.

Please make sure you have arranged for travel insurance, it is a good tip to bring along the phone number to the insurance company as well as the policy number. Paper copies or data copies of passport, visas and insurance letter is always a good thing to bring along (in a separate bag from where you keep the originals).

For the participants needing Schengen visa, please make sure once again that you have the Schengen visa multiple entry in your passport.

To all of you waiting for news about the jackets, well, I received a phone call from US customs today, they are finally cleared and ready to be shipped to Austin. If you don’t get another e-mail from me within tomorrow night (Thursday, August 15th) the students can get their Svalex US 2013 jacket at University of Texas at Austin, Department of Geological Sciences, 2275 Speedway, Stop C9000, Schoch Building (EPS) room 1.130, Austin, Texas-78712, ask for Chris Adams, or Lyndsey Turner at the department office of JPG. Collection time, Friday August 16th after 1 pm (until office closes), Monday and Tuesday August 19-20 office opening hours. I hope the jackets fit.

Please make sure to pack your stuff according to the “packing list” on the Svalex US 2013 UT portal. I also recommend some medical equipment for personal use, in particular something for potential blisters.

Remember to bring your lap top. To group spoke persons, please remember to bring the USB for your group.

If you have any questions for me, please let me know. I’ll answer as soon as I can. I think you are set to go if you have paid attention to the messages already given.

Wishing you all a safe trip to Svalbard and Norway and hope you will find Svalex US 2013 a unique experience. See you soon !

Brit

PS, in case you need my Norwegian phone number, it is +47 918 93 672

Best regards,
Brit Ragnhildstveit
Manager Business Development
Research, Development and Innovation
Statoil TPD RDI Unconventional
Statoil North America Inc.
E-mail: brag@statoil.com
Telephone : +1 832 790 2472 / +47 918 93 672
Visitor address : Statoil, 2103 CityWest Boulevard, suite 800, Houston, Tx. 77042, USA
www.statoil.com”

August 2
The UT International Office does not want to see any paperwork from any Svalex participants.  A group application for student International Travel Authorizations  has been submitted – you no longer need to do this individually.  You will still, however, need to register with the UT international Travel Registry, using their online form, as soon as possible.  Suggested entries for the form are available near the bottom of the Travel page, as is a travel itinerary.
July 10
A new paper of interest, “Analysis of Structural trends… multichannel seismic data” by Blinova et al., 2013, has been added to the Reading page.
July 3
By July 25, all participants are required to: 

  1. Fill out, sign, scan and return the Field Card to Brit (brag@statoil.com);
  2. Read and become familiar with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) fieldwork safety guidelines (“HSE” guidelines).
  3. Sign and return the Statoil Liability Waiver to Brit, if you have not already done so.
  4. Email Dr. Steel about the status of your Visa, if you do not yet have it in hand.
May 11
  • The travel page has been updated with further information for visa applicants.
May 3
  • A receipt for the $500 deposit is available on request from Brit (brag@statoil.com).
  • Due to privacy concerns the Statoil visa letter has been removed.  The same letter is now available on request from Brit.  If your visa request requires a personalized letter (the group letter should be sufficient) she can provide one instead.
April 30
  • Brit will be in the Holland Family Student Center from 4:30-5:00 PM tomorrow, May 1, to accept down payments.
  • Visa Update: A link to a PDF of a letter from Statoil (“Information to Embassy for Schengen visa application”) for Visa applicants was added to the Travel page and is available here (this letter has been removed).  Brit will have hard copies to pick up tomorrow when she visits the Student Center.
April 27
Dr. Bennett’s field safety lecture is now posted.
April 25
Those not attending the meeting Saturday will need to download, sign and return the Statoil Liability Waiver.  Everyone else will complete the Waiver at the meeting.
April 25
Information on the down payment: 

Nonrefundable down payment of USD 500.- for Svalex US 2013 student participants.

There are three ways that the students can submit their USD 500.- Nonrefundable Down payment.

  1. Check
  2. Money Order
  3. Cashier’s Check

One of the above should be made out to Statoil Gulf Services.  On memo line it should read “Student’s Full Name”

These checks can be submitted to Brit Ragnhildstveit at the “Statoil Day” April 27th, 2013 or to Brit Ragnhildstveit at the Student Center at JSG (where we met for pizza) between 4:30pm and 5:00 pm May 1st, 2013 or students can mail them no later than May 1st, 2013 to the following:

Statoil Gulf Services

Attention: Brit Ragnhildstveit

2103 CityWest Blvd. Suite 800

Houston, Texas  77042
April 23
Please bring a camera with you to the mandatory meeting this Saturday, April 27.
April 23
The Travel page has been updated with further information on Schengen visas and tickets.  International students should review this new information.
April 18
The Travel page has been updated with information on Schengen visas and the UT International Travel Authorization process.
April 17
SVALEX multidisciplinary task groups have been established – 10 groups with 5 or 6 members per team.  See the Participants page for group assignments.
April 17
For those registered for this class (Geo191), Dr. Steel requests the following: 

“Write a short illustrated essay (<10 pages) on the relationship between Late Paleocene-Eocene Tectonics along Western Spitsbergen and the coeval sedimentary infilling of the Central Tertiary Basin on the east side of the Fold & Thrust Belt. Illustrate details of the structural geology and of the stratigraphic infill patterns’. Use publications on website plus others cited therein.”

Completed essay should be mailed to rsteel@jsg.utexas.edu by May 11th at latest.
April 16
Our second meeting is tomorrow evening, 6-9 PM in CLA 0.128.  Please be there.  Pizza and salad will be served beforehand from 5-6 PM in the Holland Student Center.