Society of Petroleum Engineers
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The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is a professional organization whose mission is to collect, disseminate, and exchange technical knowledge concerning the exploration, development and production of oil and gas resources and related technologies for the public benefit and to provide opportunities for professionals to enhance their technical and professional competence.
SPE provides a worldwide forum of oil and natural gas exploration and production (E&P) professionals for the exchange of technical knowledge and a professional home for more than 75,000 engineers, scientists, managers, and educators. SPE's eLibrary contains more than 42,000 technical papers — products of SPE conferences and periodicals, made available to the entire industry. SPE has offices in Dallas, Houston, London, Dubai, Moscow and Kuala Lumpur.
The history of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) began well before its actual establishment. During the decade after the 1901 discovery of the Spindletop field, the American Institute of Mining Engineers (AIME) saw a growing need for a forum in the booming new field of petroleum engineering. As a result, AIME formed a standing committee on oil and gas in 1913.
In 1922, the committee was expanded to become one of AIME’s 10 professional divisions. The Petroleum Division of AIME continued to grow throughout the next three decades. By 1950, the Petroleum Division had become one of three separate branches of AIME, and in 1957 the Petroleum Branch of AIME was expanded once again to form a professional society.
The first SPE Board of Directors meeting was held 6 October 1957, making 2007 the 50th anniversary year for SPE as a professional society.
The following chronology lists major events in SPE's history and shows how membership has grown over time.
1950s During the 1950s, the petroleum membership of AIME grew significantly, leading to restructuring decisions that would shape the future Society of Petroleum Engineers.
1957 The Petroleum Branch of AIME becomes a full-fledged professional society - the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME. On October 6, 1957, the first Board of Directors meeting was held in Dallas, Texas, with President John H. Hammond presiding.
1957: Membership 12,500
1958: The SPE Reprint Series begins with the publication of Well Logging.
1960s: During the 1960s, the new society developed products and services to address the technical interests of its growing membership.
1960: Membership 14,806
1961: The first issue of the Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal is published.
1961: The Distinguished Lecturer series begins with three lecturers delivering 28 talks to members in 19 petroleum sections of AIME.
1962: Ten technical committees are formed to ensure that a wide variety of technical areas are addressed in technical programs and publications.
1967: The Monograph series begins with the publication of Pressure Buildup and Flow Tests in Wells by C.S. Matthews and D.G. Russell
1969 The first Offshore Technology Conference is held, underwritten by the SPE Activities Fund. The conference, with 4,200 in attendance, features 110 technical papers and 368 exhibit booths.
1970s: During the 1970s, membership grew rapidly, doubling by the end of the decade. The first Long Range Plan was implemented, and helped the society map out its future for the decade to come.
1970: Membership 17,682
1971: The first Offshore Europe is held in Great Yarmouth, Scotland cinema under the name "Oiltech."
1975: First Long Range Plan
1979: The first Middle East Oil and Gas Show and Conference is held.
1979: The first SPE Forum is held at Colorado Mountain College, featuring the topics Properties of Saturated Rocks of Interest to Petrophysicists and Geophysicists and The Physical Control of Solids in Drilling Fluids.
1980s: During the 1980s, the industry suffered a downturn and roughly half of all jobs were lost. However, SPE membership remained stable, even experiencing growth, throughout the decade.
1980: Membership 38,799
1985: SPE is incorporated separately from AIME.
1986: Four discipline-specific technical journals are launched – SPE Drilling Engineering, SPE Production Engineering, SPE Formation Evaluation, and SPE Reservoir Engineering.
1987: SPE obtains the rights to the Petroleum Production Handbook, originally published in 1962 by McGraw-Hill, and publishes a revision re-titled the Petroleum Engineering Handbook.
1988: Forums are held in Europe for the first time.
1989: The first Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition is held.
1990s: During the 1990s, SPE became more culturally diverse as the growth rate of international sections increased. SPE also became more technologically far-reaching with the introduction of international Forums and the launch of SPE.org.
1990: Membership 51,586
1991: SPE's London office is opened.
1992: Forums are held in Asia Pacific for the first time.
1993: Jacques Bosio becomes SPE's first non-US president.
1993: The concept of Applied Technical Workshops (ATWs) is first discussed.
1994: Forums are held in the Middle East for the first time.
1995: SPE's Kuala Lumpur office is opened.
1995: SPE.org, hosted by the Texas A&M Petroleum Engineering Department, goes live.
1996: Forums are held in South America for the first time.
1996: The first 5 ATWs are held in Europe and the US.
1998: The first Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference is held.
1998: DeAnn Craig becomes SPE's first woman president.
1998: OIL (Online Information Library), the precursor to eLibrary, is launched.
1999: JPT celebrates its 50th anniversary.
1999: The number of ATWs doubles from 5 in 1996 to 10.
2000s: During the 2000s, SPE reached its highest number of members in its history, partly due to the high growth rate in the number of student members and chapters. Today SPE continues its constant search for new ways to meet member needs in all phases of their careers in all parts of the world.
2000: Membership 51,918
2000: The dues structure is revised to accommodate the needs of all SPE members worldwide.
2000: A new governing structure consisting of technical directors and disciplines is implemented.
2000: Technical Interest Groups, or TIGs, are developed to connect SPE members interested in common technical topics.
2003: SPE's Dubai office is opened.
2004: Training Marketplace is introduced, providing members a single source to explore training opportunities from multiple providers.
2004: The first Young Professionals Workshop is held in Stresa, Italy.
2004: Women's Network is introduced, offering female members of SPE the opportunity to share experiences and insights on gender-related career issues.
2004: The society adopted a business structure centered around the establishment of the Society of Petroleum Engineers Stichting, a not-for-profit headquartered in the Netherlands, to streamline what had become a very complex organization and provide more efficient support to members everywhere.
2005: Major enhancements to eLibrary are launched.
2005: eMentoring is introduced to connect young professionals with fewer than five years in the industry and students with more experienced members.
2006: A pilot program to provide a Society-sponsored Petroleum Professional Certification is launched in Abu Dhabi.
2006: The first issue of The Way Ahead, a journal for Young Professionals, is published.
2006: LookUpstream is launched, providing a joint search of the SPE, AAPG and SEG digital libraries.
2006: Online eJournals are launched, offering members substantial cost and time savings over the printed and mailed copies.
2006: A new online-only journal, SPE Projects, Facilities & Construction, is started.
2006: The online Bookstore is updated, offering more titles and new search features.
2006: The number of papers downloaded from eLibrary since 2001 totals nearly 4 million.
2006: Membership hits all-time high at 73,235
2007: OnePetro , a multi-society library, is launched with support from SPE's Foundation.
