This article is one from 15 different Papua New Guinean scientists taken from the manuscript of the new Grade 9 Science Outcomes textbook prior to the design and editing processes currently being undertaken at Pearson Education Australia. This is Jeffrey’s story. I hope all the parents, teachers and students read and enjoy it. More scientists’ stories will appear here during the next few months. This photograph is of Jeffrey and a colleague working in the computer lab.
Brian Robertson
My name is Jeffrey Mane Febi and I am a Mud logging Geologist. I work in the petroleum industry where we drill holes called wellbores into the earth to explore for oil and gas using drilling rigs. I collect and analyze samples of rocks we’re drilling through. I also monitor and analyze the amount and types of gasses and oil, and the amount of Hydrogen Sulfide gas (which is poisonous and can kill) coming out of wellbores.
An interesting aspect of my job is discovering oil and or gas. I travel quite a lot around Papua New Guinea and Australia to work and this is what I enjoy the most. An even more interesting and wonderful aspect of my job is the care we take to minimize the destruction to the environment we work in. It is company policy to collect, pack and transport all wastes we produce to specially designed places to burn or recycle. In doing so, we help to keep our environment clean and free of harmful substances.
My job in the petroleum industry is an important one. I drill for oil and gas, which in turn are processed and converted into many products that we use every day of our lives. Examples of products from oil are; kerosene, candles, medicine (e.g. Aspirin), clothes, bitumen, rubber, and CD/DVDs. Examples of products from gas are; gas for cooking, gas used in hospitals to sterilize equipment, and gas for refrigerators. Without these products the world would be an unpleasant place to live in. So it is important to continue to explore for oil and gas until a reliable alternative energy source to replace oil and gas is discovered and developed for use.
I have been working really hard and faithfully despite many challenges at work and home. I hope to win my boss’s confidence and trust so I can be promoted and eventually become a manager within our company. It is not an easy task but through commitment and dedication I believe this can be achieved.
After graduating from the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) with an Honours degree in Geophysics (a branch of science that applies principles of Physics to measure the properties of the Earth), I got a job at the PNG Department of Petroleum and Energy (DPE). While working there, I used to see and read technical reports from oil fields. The interpretation of these reports is very fascinating. When you are done interpreting, you would know almost everything that had happened during the drilling of a well even though you’re not there. You would also know if oil and gas were discovered. This interested me so much; I started seeking job opportunities in the petroleum industry and eventually got my current job.
The next time you see a rock, look at it closely. It has a long and interesting story to tell. You will only know its life’s story when you become a geologist so work hard at school.