the sven treitel - Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary

THE SVEN TREITEL ‘53
GRADUATE STUDENT
SUPPORT FUND
Honoring a pioneer of modern oil and gas exploration
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | DEPARTMENT OF EARTH, ATMOSPHERIC AND PLANETARY SCIENCES
I
N TODAY’S DIGITAL ERA, it is hard to imagine
that the oil and gas industry once relied on laborintensive interpretations of analog signals to determine where to drill. Nowadays, the industry is one
of the most computer-intensive. Exploration would
be unthinkable without the digital methods of subsurface
mapping, first conceived in a small lab in MIT’s legendary Building 20 in the 1950s. This is where Sven Treitel,
then a graduate student member of the Geophysical
Analysis Group (GAG), began to apply mathematician
Norbert Weiner’s ideas to test the hypothesis that a
computer could process seismograms more accurately
than students poring over photographs with magnifying glasses. This research laid the groundwork for the
“digital revolution” in exploration seismology.
Born in Germany and raised in Argentina, Sven Treitel ’53,
SM ’55, PhD ’58 spent 9 years studying Geology and
Geophysics at MIT. As a graduate student he leaped
at the chance to support his studies by working in the
GAG, a research group sponsored by some major oil
and geophysical service companies. Although by 1957,
GAG’s sponsors believed that the research had run its
course, Sven Treitel trusted in its potential to change
the landscape of geophysical exploration, and dedicated
years of his career at Amoco in Oklahoma to developing and refining digital signal processing – often in collaboration with GAG colleague Enders Robinson ’50,
SM ’52, PhD ’54. Fifty years later, their textbook on
Geophysical Signal Analysis is still used to train geophysicists around the world. Sven Treitel remains an
active leader in the field, consulting for oil companies
and inspiring the next generation of scientists who share
his perseverance and his thirst for discovery.
ABOVE
Sven Treitel ’53,
SM ’55, PhD ’58,
pioneer of modern
digital seismic
data processing,
received the Marcus
Milling Legendary
Geoscientist Medal
in 2012.
A ROLE MODEL AND MENTOR
Sven Treitel is modest about his achievements, emphasizing that science is a long and sometimes painful
sequence of small steps, with success depending upon
luck, building on foundations laid by other, often unsung,
scientists who came before. But he acknowledges the
role that MIT played by offering the perfect environment for the GAG research team of graduate students
to be effective: “We were self-motivated individuals with
similar scientific interests – and we were left pretty much
to our own devices.” His rigorous MIT training, >>
FOR MORE
INFORMATION
Angela Ellis
Sr. Development Officer
[email protected]
617-253-5796
http://eapsweb.mit.edu
THE GOALS
HONOR Sven Treitel and his contributions to science
and to geophysical exploration.
under the mentorship of Gordon J. F.
MacDonald, a brilliant young Associate
Professor of Geophysics, prepared him well
for a successful research career. “Being
a graduate student at MIT was a tremendous experience”, says Dr. Treitel: “even
now, I can often recognize by talking to a
researcher for a few minutes whether he
or she attended MIT – we have a similar
approach to science.”
In honor of Sven Treitel’s extraordinary
contribution to Geophysics over the past
five decades, a group of alumni from the
Department of Earth, Atmospheric and
Planetary Sciences (EAPS) at MIT has
launched a graduate student support fund to
support graduate students who are training
in geophysics. Their goal is to endow the
Sven Treitel ‘53 Graduate Student Support
Fund so that it will support at least one
graduate student per year, in perpetuity.
Arthur Cheng, Sc.D. ‘78 (XII), Professor
of Civil and Environmental Engineering at
National University of Singapore, former
Senior Technology Manager at Halliburton,
HELP MIT maintain its competitive edge in attracting
the very best graduate students.
PROVIDE financial assistance to at least one graduate
student per academic year, in perpetuity.
is leading this effort. “Sven Treitel was
a visiting professor at MIT when I was a
graduate student and he was a great role
model for me”, says Dr. Cheng, adding: “We
were colleagues in the industry for years
and now he is a good friend. This is the
perfect time for MIT to acknowledge Sven’s
giant contribution to geophysics – and what
better way than to support graduate students
through a fund named in his honor?”
Graduate Student Support Fund so it
will provide a full fellowship for an EAPS
graduate student to cover tuition, stipend,
and health insurance for a nine-month
period. Fellowship funds are vital for EAPS
to attract and train the best young scientists,
giving them breathing room to complete
course requirements and explore different
research options regardless of whether their
interests match a current government or
corporate grant.
THE NEED FOR SUPPORT
Graduate students play a vital role in EAPS
by conducting advanced research, teaching
and mentoring undergraduates, and helping
to attract world-class faculty. Our goal is to
raise at least $1M for the Sven Treitel ‘53
We invite you to join us in honoring the lifetime achievements of Dr. Sven Treitel by
contributing to the Sven Treitel ‘53 Graduate
Student Support Fund. An endowed fund of
$1M will support one graduate student per
year in perpetuity. Your gift in any amount is
greatly appreciated. [ ]
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Angela Ellis
Senior Development Officer, EAPS
[email protected] 617-253-5796
To make a gift online:
http://eapsweb.mit.edu/alumni/giving
Sven Treitel ‘53 Graduate Student
Support Fund (3312160)
Department of Earth,
Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Avenue, 54-926
Cambridge, MA 02139
http://eapsweb.mit.edu
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