2005 Winner: Journalism: Specialized Publications
Publication Makes Big Strides in Industry Reporting
In the fast-paced oil and gas business, dissemination of information about cutting-edge technologies and emerging trends is critical. Nickle’s New Technology Magazine (NTM) fills an important niche providing news and in-depth coverage of the latest in research and technology in the upstream oil and gas industry.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, NTM is respected for its high-quality reporting that “neither talks up nor down to its audience.” The magazine combines authoritative journalism with strong visuals to report complex technological innovations to a target audience of engineers, geologists, geophysicists, information technology personnel and other professionals in the oil and gas business. NTM is awarded the 2005 ASTech Excellence in Science and Technology Journalism Prize: Specialized Publications for three articles that appeared between December 2004 and May 2005.
“Remotely Connected” gives a gripping account of how Anadarko Canada Corporation used a combination of new technologies to meet the challenge of a massive river gorge that stranded natural gas reserves. The article takes the reader behind the scenes as a team of experts in a Calgary office tower hundreds of kilometres away remotely steer the drilling of two wellbores on either side of the gorge and successfully guide them to a meeting point deep under the river.
A second article, “Poised for Growth,” reports on efforts by Shell Canada Limited to develop its Peace River bitumen resource. The story details the company’s extensive investigations of novel drilling techniques to optimize bitumen recovery.
The third feature, entitled “An Eye to Efficiency,” tells how technology used in exploring Mars is being adapted to possibly increase efficiencies for Alberta’s oilsands producers. The article explains how an “electric eye” or spectrometer used for analyzing the surface of Mars may improve characterization of unprocessed oilsands.
NTM actively seeks out and reports news in areas where Albertans are world leaders. While most of the magazine’s readership is within Alberta, industry professionals in the United States and more than 50 countries around the world subscribe for the latest news about Canadian oilpatch technology. NTM has been recognized among its peers with national and international honours. In June 2005 it brought home two Canadian Business Press, Kenneth R. Wilson Memorial awards, including gold for best profile of a company and a “Top Five” citation for best issue. Also in June NTM received honourable mention for placing ninth (out of almost 700) in the feature article category of the U.S.-based Trade, Association and Business Publications International (Tabbies) awards.
