The oil and gas industry’s worry over the loss of its petroleum engineering and geological knowledge base to an expected wave of retirements may not be as warranted as once thought. At least a recent announcement by the Society of Petroleum Engineers may nudge some toward thinking so.In late January SPE reported that its membership had reached a record high. At yearend 2007 SPE’s combined worldwide professional and student membership reached 79,300, up 8% from yearend 2006. The organization’s membership has, in fact, climbed steadily over the last several years, rising 23% since 2004.One of the more notable—and encouraging—facts about this steady membership cli...