Society of Independent Professional
Earth Scientists

 Click here for the 2026 S.I.P.E.S. Dues Form - please use this form to update your contact information as well

Click here to pay your dues online

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Next Event:

November 19, 2026

Our Presenter:

John D. Wright

"We Don’t Need No Stinking Engineers!
"

All attendees MUST RSVP!

Please RSVP by 11:30 a.m. on the Monday prior

Click here to RSVP

When: Thursday, November 19, 2026, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Where: Wynkoop Brewery - 1634 18th Street, Denver, CO 80202

Cost Structure:

• Members $25 (Presentation & Meal)
• Non-members $30 (Presentation & Meal)
• Walk-ins will no longer be allowed due to an issue with the Wynkoop.  Please pre-purchase a lunch to attend.  Sorry for the inconvenience!

Please feel free to share this information with any friends and colleagues who might be interested!

Abstract:

Humans, Machines, and What You’d Pay for a Portfolio of Wells

How much would you bid for an oil and gas property—and how would a different production forecast change your offer?

In 2024 and 2026, SPEE put human and automated forecasters to the test, asking humans to predict future production from 250 horizontal wells and machines to forecast those plus an additional 800 wells. John Wright will highlight findings presented at the Houston symposia, compare the forecasts, and invite you to bid on properties to explore how those forecasts affect portfolio values.

You’ll be playing with house money, so there’s no financial risk, just an opportunity to test your judgment and see how uncertainty in PDP forecasts can change what you’re willing to pay. You will also see how humans do compared to machines and decide for yourself whether we still need those stinking engineers.

Bio:

John D. Wright, PhD, P.E., is Chief Engineer of Wright Consulting Company in Golden, Colorado. He has almost six decades of oil and gas experience on six continents, including eight years teaching Petroleum Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines and more than 40 years consulting.
He has authored books, worked as a pumper and a petroleum engineer, and is a working interest owner and lessee as well as a mineral interest owner and lessor. He has served extensively in SPEE and was named an honorary life member in 2018.

WHAT IS SIPES?

The Society of Independent Professional Earth Scientists (SIPES) is the only national organization designed exclusively for the independent or consulting professional earth scientist. Members include geologists, engineers, geophysicists, geochemists, and other earth scientists.

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Our Mission

To be the pre-eminent organization for furthering the professional business interests of independent practitioners of earth sciences. 

• Professional Competence

• Professional Business Ethics

• Presenting a favorable, credible and effective image of Society

Local Events:

Monthly Meetings

Meetings for 2026 will be held at the

Wynkoop Brewery

1634 18th Street

Denver, CO 80202