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It was a matter of confidence surfacing at the right moment.听
Sienna Johnson, a fourth-year geology student at the University of Regina won the Best Undergraduate Technical Talk award among her peers at the 2016 Western Inter-University Geosciences Conference in Saskatoon on Jan. 8.听
鈥淚 was very surprised and relieved when the presentation was over,鈥� Johnson told Costa Maragos, director of external relations for the U of R, shortly after the award was made.听
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know if I would stand out,鈥澨�
鈥淲ell, she did stand out,鈥� said Maragos.
The conference is an annual student-run event that provides an opportunity for students across Canada to share their ideas and research findings and to network with industry professionals.听
The judges, said Maragos, 鈥渨ere accomplished geologists. It was a tough audience.鈥澨�
Johnson said she was intimidated at first. 鈥淚 was only given 10 minutes to talk about a research project I had been working on for months. I had to cut out a lot of fluff dealing with preparation and scientific method; and focused on results of my research.鈥澨�
Johnson鈥檚 presentation was titled Bitumen-filled Natural Fractures of the Souris Valley Marker Bed B in 麻豆视频ern Saskatchewan.听
鈥淚n plain terms, I鈥檓 looking for rocks鈥� potential to produce hydrocarbons,鈥� said Johnson. 鈥淭he Souris Valley is generally under-researched in this area.鈥澨�
The former Estevan Comprehensive School graduate has also presented her research finding at the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists in Calgary and the Williston Basin Conference in Regina.听
Johnson, the daughter of Brian and Gloria Johnson, acknowledges that growing up in Estevan where the oil industry is most prominent, influenced her decision to study geology at the U of R.听
鈥淭aking geology at the U of R has been fabulous. There鈥檚 been a lot of support from the professors,鈥� she said.听
Maragos noted Johnson鈥檚 undergraduate thesis supervisor was Dr. Stepehen Bend who has transitioned from professor to mentor over the course of the last year. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be able to achieve success without his guidance,鈥� Johnson said.听
Johnson will convocate this spring and will enter the workforce, since she鈥檚 landed a contract with Areva Resources Canada, a multi-national nuclear energy company. She will be based in Saskatoon.听
In a recent email exchange with the Mercury, Johnson said 鈥渁ctually I鈥檝e had more summer job experience in uranium exploration than the oil industry. I decided to take on an honours thesis project that would round out my resume. Plus, I thought it was super interesting.鈥澨�
She went on to suggest she is most interested in petroleum geochemistry.听
Johnson, who was also a well-known bagpiper with the Estevan Elks PPCLI Army Cadet Pipe and Drum Corps during her high school years, said she still plays the pipes with the City of Regina Pipe Band, when she has time. 鈥淚 had to push that aside the last few summers because I鈥檝e been up north working in exploration camps. I spent all last summer with Areva in Kiggavik, Nunavut, and who could pass that up!鈥�
