THE DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED GEOPHYSICS - HISTORY
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT
The Department of Applied Geophysics and Meteorology has been existing since inception in 1982 in the then School of Earth and Mineral Sciences (SEMS), FUTA. However, both departments became autonomous and first in Nigeria soon after. The pioneer lecturer, Dr. J. S. Ojo assumed office as Lecturer I on October 1, 1983 while the number of students in the initial class was ten (10). The departmental courses were coded EGM as against the current AGP codes. The curriculum for Applied Geophysics option was patterned after that of the department of Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines, Denver, USA except the addition of SIWES. Dr. S. L. Folami joined the department in August 1984 as Lecturer II and Mr. Amos Ekundayo joined as Senior Assistant Technologist in the same year.
SOME LANDMARK EVENTS:
The first set of students graduated with B.Tech. in Applied Geophysics from the department in 1987, thus producing one of the first two students that made a first class in FUTA.
The first official association with the Oil and Gas Companies for the benefit of the department started in 1989 when Mobil Producing (Nig.) ULTD. Permitted one of our staff members to spend his sabbatical leave year in the Company.
At the request of the NUC in 1990, the department prepared a document according to the Minimum Academic Standards for the ‘accreditation of Nigerian Universities that would in future want to mount programmes in Applied Geophysics’.
The Master’s and Ph.D. degree programmes in Exploration Geophysics commenced in 1992 and 1996 respectively.
The Post-Graduate Diploma in Applied Geophysics (in the Department of Applied Geophysics), was initiated in February, 1997.
The department facilitated the hosting in FUTA, the first ever Mini-NAPE Conference in September, 2002
In recent times, a donation ceremony for the inauguration of PetrelTM software by Schlumberger Group of Companies took place in Lagos on Thursday, 27th, January 2005.
The first school ANNUAL LECTURE SERIES facilitated by Applied Geophysics department was held on Friday, 11thNovember, 2005.
The department is in very good standing in INDUSTRIAL LINKAGE and PARTNERSHIP. It has recently acquired a suite of packages and work stations from Multi – National Companies like Exxon Mobil, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Schlumberger, Chevron and Danvic Concepts.
Thus, with the acquisition of Software Licenses like Kingdom Suite, Advanced PetrelTM, OPENDTECT, Geo-frame, FUTA students have participated and have been winning laurels in the American Association of Petroleum Geologists- Imperial Barrel Award (AAPG-IBA) competitions since 2008 and similar other competitions.
