9: What Great Geoscientists Keep Learning (Inside IMAGE '26)

Tom Ewing and Mike Forrest join me ahead of the AAPG and SEG Honors and Awards ceremonies for a conversation that quickly becomes less about the awards and more about what kept them engaged for so many decades.

Tom talks about the career turns that moved him from tectonics into the Texas subsurface, consulting, regional geology, and a long habit of publishing work other geoscientists could actually use. Mike keeps coming back to something even simpler: seismic interpretation is still fun, curiosity still matters, and he still enjoys learning alongside students and colleagues.

What gives the conversation its energy is that neither sounds finished. They talk about saying yes, giving back, staying useful, and making room for the next generation in a profession that looks very different from the one they entered.

LINKS

* AAPG Honors and Awards - https://www.aapg.org/news-and-media/explorer/announcing-aapg-s-honors-and-awards-for-2027/

* SEG Honors and Awards - https://seg.org/news/society-of-exploration-geophysicists-announces-2026-honors-and-awards-recipients/

* Attend IMAGE '26 - www.imageevent.org/

* View the Inside IMAGE '26 Podcast Schedule - public.3.basecamp.com/p/LETDMZk3GvZ42PzjQMdmY7in

* Listen to Inside IMAGE Podcast Series - www.imageevent.org/podcast