SNAME Supports the Offshore Technology Conference

The Offshore Technology Conference, in its 38th year, increased exposition space by 25% this year, and enjoyed another record attendance of 67,155, a 13% increase over 2006. Despite heavy rains in the early evening the Society’s Third OTC Reception was successfully held at the Hilton Americas Hotel on Monday night with 65 Society members and friends attending.

Peter Noble, SNAME Honorary Vice President and Vice President for the Gulf and Central Region, led the program of acknowledging the many Texas Section Member volunteers, Students, Young Professionals, Society awardees and medalists from the Texas Section who have contributed so greatly to the marine and offshore industry over the past years.

He acknowledged Texas Section member Ed Stokes as Rod Allan’s replacement on the OTC Board of Directors; Jack Mercier as the Regional Vice President, Gulf and Central, and 1985 Blakely Smith medalist and Jim Card, as the 1997 Vice Admiral “Jerry Land Medalist.

Peter also recognized three young Texas Section members for their leadership by calling on Jared Leigh to speak about his development of the Texas Section’s Young Professionals Program; current Texas Section Chair, Don Burris to describe the OTC “Next Wave” Program for young professionals in the offshore industry and past Texas Section Chair and SNAME Web Advisory Group member, Lars Ronning, to explain his role in this year’s program of recruiting and organizing 30 Texas Section volunteers to conduct tours of OTC by 90 High School Science Teachers and 150 High School Students on Thursday, May 3.

This was the second year of the SNAME OTC Best Paper Award, which went to SNAME authors Petruska, Stone, Kwan, Zimmerman, Devlin, Wishahy and O’Connor for their paper entitled, “Improved Mooring Design Codes for Hurricane Season.”