What is SPE?
The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Inc. is an international technical/professional organization dedicated to the advancement of technology associated with the recovery of energy resources from wellbores. It is one of the largest technical/professional associations in the world with more than 53,000 members residing in more than 50 countries. Through a vast array of SPE programs, ranging from publications to international and regional conferences to section meetings, new technical information and technology are exchanged among Society members and other industry professionals.
SPE is organized geographically into a framework of operating units consisting of 14 regions, 151 sections, and over 100 student chapters. Members are represented by elected officers at each level.
Each region is represented by a Regional Director, who together with Directors-Elect, At-Large Directors, the President, President-Elect, Past President, and Treasurer compose the SPE Board of Directors, the governing body of the worldwide SPE.
Each section is represented by officers, typically a chairperson, program chairperson, membership chairperson, secretary, and treasurer, with other officers elected as deemed necessary. Of particular importance to the student chapter is the section/student chapter liaison. This officer provides the link to the student chapter from its sponsoring section and the industry at large. Some sections have a student affairs committee that coordinates the section’s activities with the student chapter’s. As such, the section/student chapter liaison would be a member of this committee.
Each student chapter is represented by a faculty sponsor, president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and any other officers deemed necessary by the chapter. The responsibilities assigned to each of these student chapter officers are discussed individually in this manual.
Brief History
The history of the Society of Petroleum Engineers begins within the American Institute of Mining Engineers (AIME). AIME was founded in 1871 and originally consisted only of mining engineers, but soon began to involve engineers from other disciplines that worked in the mining industry. As the AIME grew, the scope of the organization expanded, and the name later changed to the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers to recognize the material scientists and metallurgists who had become affiliated with the organization. In 1913, a standing committee on oil and gas was created within AIME and proved to be the genesis of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. The Oil and Gas Committee of AIME soon evolved into the Petroleum Division of AIME as the membership in AIME grew and as interest among the members was more clearly delineated among the mining, metallurgical, and petroleum factions. In 1957, when SPE and the other divisions became constituent Societies, the AIME name was expanded to the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers. The Society of Petroleum Engineers became a separately incorporated organization from AIME in late 1985.
