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Section Members,

I hope this finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. June was yet another strange month for us – commodity prices are on an upward trend, operators are slowly bringing back shut-in production, and the economy is re-opening through a phased approach to get millions of people back to work. And yet, the futures contracts look relatively flat, our industry continues to face layoffs and furloughs, and the COVID-19 pandemic is still surging on with cases increasing in some parts of the country that have already re-opened. If you tend to worry like me, the dichotomy of our new reality can be very overwhelming.

In times like these, I have found some solace in thinking about the positive changes that these last few months have brought:

Technology, technology, technology!

• Virtual meeting platforms have not only helped to connect family and friends (playing Jackbox TV games with Zoom has become one of my new favorites) but have also gained positive traction in the workforce. Although the current environment has slashed most in-person intern programs, the industry has found ways to continue to provide for our future petroleum engineers by offering virtual mentoring, various internal presentations by staff, and hands-on projects that can be completed remotely. These platforms have also helped re-establish networking opportunities in a time when handshakes are frowned upon. Conferences are also going virtual and the speaker line-ups are limitless! Speakers no longer need to make travel arrangements or take time away from work and hence can be more accessible to help industry professionals continue to disseminate technical information

• Reducing commute time to a mere 20 seconds was a game changer. I found that I had more energy to knock out to-do lists at work and at home, more time to check in with my family and friends, and more time to carve out space for myself to mentally re-prioritize and focus on the things that mattered. Not to mention, not paying tolls to sit in standstill traffic was a bonus to my overall mood and my pocket!

• How radiant my flowers look when they bloom in the late afternoon
• Opening the windows and hearing the birds while catching up on emails
• Regulating your own temperature (offices and conference rooms can be freezing!)
• Having more time to make (and botch) “artisanal coffee”
• Cooking more fresh food

I hope that all of you have seen and experienced at least a handful of positive changes in your lives recently. I also hope that as we continue to utilize more virtual technology to bring you technical content, you feel that we are providing a worthy service to you. We will continue to evaluate future in-person events but for now, I highly encourage all of you to sign up for our upcoming virtual monthly and study group meetings (dates will be posted soon). For those who I have not met yet, I’d love to connect with you at our upcoming YP virtual networking events (dates also to be posted soon). If you have any suggestions, tips, questions, concerns, or would just like to reach out to share your tidbits of positive changes, please don’t hesitate to email or call me.

Sincerely,
Pragnya Maruwada

Pragnya.maruwada@denbury.com

(469) 682-6554

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