Stephen Bend

B.Sc.(Keele), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Newcastle)

Expertise and areas of study:

Prior to entering academia, Stephen worked in industry as a petroleum geochemist and prior to that as a petroleum geologist, typically on overseas assignments in South America, Europe, the Middle East, Scandinavia and North America. Dr. Bend has worked within the Department of Geology, University of Regina (Canada) since 1990.  During this time, he has delivered service, elective and core undergraduate classes and graduate classes in Petroleum Geology, Petroleum Geochemistry & Petrology, Environmental Geology and Resources of the Earth, and classes in Basin Modeling and Petroleum Systems. A known ‘innovator’, Stephen has pioneered numerous teaching stratagems on campus, always striving to keep his classes fresh, engaging and relevant in a constantly changing world. He recognizes that the real world requires thinking, creative geoscientists not walking geological encyclopedia, and he encourages students make the transition from passive recipient of information to active participants in the learning process, who are able to critically evaluate and validate their own work and the work of others.

He has trained both Masters and Doctoral candidates in Organic Petrology and Organic Geochemistry, authored and co-authored publications on coal-related and petroleum systems research, and has served on numerous national and international committees; including The Society for Organic Petrology, The International Committee for Coal Petrology, the United Nations Committee for Europe and the AAPG (House of Delegates & Education Committee). He is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, The Society for Organic Petrology, the Saskatchewan Geological Society and Association of Petroleum Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan.

He has delivered professional short courses in petroleum geology and geochemistry (for AAPG, GSA and SGS), delivered a graduate-level petroleum geology class in China, delivered instructional workshops for professors, geology workshops for teachers, guest lectured in schools, conducted summer school labs for Grades 5 to 8, delivered classes for the Life Long Learning Centre and conducted a Graduate Teaching and Learning workshop.  Stephen is the author of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists eTextbook on Petroleum Geology (published Nov. 2007) https://store.aapg.org/detail.aspx?id=141

In 2016 Dr. Bend was recognized by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists for leadership in geoscience education, and was the 2016 recipient of the AAPG Professorial Award.  In 2011 he received the University of Regina Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching. On the lighter side, Stephen has appeared on the TV Series The Reinventors, enjoys Cross-country skiing and mountain biking, and has competed in Biathlon.

Courses taught:

Geol 102: Environmental Geology

Geol 270: Earth Resources and the Environment

Geol 472: Petroleum Geology

Geol 473: Petroleum Geochemistry

Selected recent publications:

Aderoju, T and Bend, S.L. (2018). Reconstructing the palaeoecosytem and palaeodepositional environment within the Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian Bakken Formation: A biomarker approach. Organic Geochemistry 119 (2018) p. 91-100

Aderoju, T.E. and Bend, S.L., (2017) “A Comparative Assessment of Biomarker Thermal Maturation Indices”; in Petroleum Systems Analysis – Case Studies, Chapter 9, AAPG Special Memoir on Petroleum Systems (Hege M. Nordgård Bolås, Isabelle Moretti, and Mahdi AbuAli; Eds), AAPG Memoir 114, p. 219-237

Bend, S.L. (2017) “Liquid Catalyst: An Initial Comparative Assessment of Six Samples from Peru”, Geochemical Assessment and Confidential Report for PointSource Processing Inc., Feb, 2017, 9p

Bend, S.L. (2014) “Yard Four Coal Assessment” Expert Witness report for Dentons Canada and Coal Valley Resources in CVR v Riddley Terminal Inc. January 2014, 19p

Bend, S.L. (2013) “International Coal Shipment Tonnage Estimations” Expert Witness report for Dentons Canada and Coal Valley Resources in CVR v Riddley Terminal Inc. September 2013, 33p

Aderoju, T.E. and Bend, S.L., (2013) A rock-eval evaluation of the Bakken Formation in Southern Saskatchewan: in Summary of Investigations 2012, Volume 1, Saskatchewan Geological Survey, Sask. Ministry of the Economy. 2013-4.1, A-2, 14p

Olajide, O. and Bend, S.L. (2013) 1D and 2D Basin and petroleum systems models for Southern Saskatchewan: in Summary of Investigations 2013, Volume 1, Saskatchewan Geological Survey, Sask. Ministry of the Economy, Misc. Rep. 2013

Olajide, O. and Bend, S.L. (2012) The application of McKenzie’s lithospheric stretching technique to 1D Basin Modelling within the Williston Basin: in Summary of Investigations 2012, Volume 1, Saskatchewan Geological Survey, Sask. Ministry of the Economy, Misc. Rep. 2012-4.2, A-6, 12p

Bend, S.L., Aderoju, T., Rees, B., Olajide, O., Marsh, A. and Yurkowski, M. (2012): Saskatchewan Phanerozoic fluids and petroleum systems: petroleum geochemistry and modelling update and activity; in Summary of Investigations 2012, Volume 1, Saskatchewan Geological Survey, Sask. Ministry of Energy and Resources, Misc. Rep. 2012-4.2, Paper A-2, 4p.

Bend, S.L., Aderoju, T., Rees, B., Olajide, O., Marsh, A., Yurkowski, M., Rostron, B., and Whittaker, S. (2011): Saskatchewan Phanerozoic fluids and petroleum systems: petroleum geochemistry and modelling; in Summary of Investigations 2011, Volume 1, Saskatchewan Geological Survey, Sask. Ministry of Energy and Resources, Misc. Rep. 2011-4.1, Paper A-2, 12p. 

Melnik, A., Rostron, B., Bend, SL., Marsh, A., Yurkowski, M. and Whitaker, S. (2010), Saskatchewan Phanerozoic Fluids and Petroleum Systems; in Summary of Investigations 2010, Vol. 2, Sask., Geol. Survey, Sask. Ministry of energy and resources, Misc. rep. 2010-6.1, Paper A-12, 12p

Bend, S., Marsh, A., Rostron, B. and Whittaker, S. (2009), ‘Saskatchewan Phanerozoic Fluids & Petroleum Systems’, in Summary of Investigations 2009, Vol. 1, Sask., Geol. Survey, Sask. Ministry of energy and resources, Misc. rep. 2009-4.1 

Bend, S. (2008), ‘Volumetric Calculation’; in Leetaru, H. (Ed.) ‘Teaching in Petroleum Geology’, AAPG Special Publication, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa, OK, USA, 6p

Xu, Q., Chi, G. and Bend, S.L. (2008), Diagenesis of the Mannville group in the Llyodminster area, western Sakatchewan: a preliminary petrographic study; in Summary of Investigations 2008, Vol. 1, Sask., Geol. Survey, Sask. Ministry of energy and resources, Misc. rep. 2008-4.1, Paper A-7, 16p