Conrad Keene Allen (born 1968 in

Marion, Illinois The city of Marion is the county seat of Williamson County, Illinois, United States. The population in Marion, IL was 16,855 according to the 2020 census. It is part of a dispersed urban area that developed out of early 20th-century coal fields ...

) is an American inventor and Exploration Geologist. While exploring for oil in the Middle East, Allen discovered and mapped one of the largest helium reserves in the world. He is the inventor of th
Helium Junction
which utilizes

nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...

to separate isotopic helium from an aqueous fluid. He is on the team that invente
An iterative and repeatable workflow for comprehensive data and processes integration for petroleum exploration and production assessments.
A recognized expert in natural resource Exploration & Production, Allen served two terms on the National Petroleum Council in Washington D.C.; first appointed in 2000 by Secretary of Energy

Bill Richardson William Blaine Richardson III (November 15, 1947 – September 1, 2023) was an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the List of governors of New Mexico, 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was U.S. ambassador to ...

and reappointed in 2003 by Secretary

Spencer Abraham Edward Spencer Abraham (born June 12, 1952) is an American attorney, author, and politician who served as the 10th United States secretary of energy from 2001 to 2005, under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, he previousl ...

. A favorite of political moderates, Allen formed
Congressional Exploratory Committee
(TX-02) to challenge incumbent

Ted Poe Lloyd Theodore Poe (born September 10, 1948) is an American politician who represented Texas's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2005 to 2019. Poe was the first Republican Party (United States), Republi ...

in 2009. Allen's committee notably included Texas Gubernatorial Candidate Chris Bell and US Senate Candidate Barbara Radnofsky. Allen garnered broad support in Texas and Washington D.C. before announcing that district

gerrymandering Gerrymandering, ( , originally ) defined in the contexts of Representative democracy, representative electoral systems, is the political manipulation of Boundary delimitation, electoral district boundaries to advantage a Political party, pa ...

engineered by

Tom Delay Thomas Dale DeLay (; born April 8, 1947) is an American author and retired politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, DeLay represented Texas's 22nd congress ...

rendered the district out of reach for a near term challenge. Poe returned to Congress unopposed. Allen name is often mentioned on the short list of potential candidates for US Congress and

Texas Railroad Commissioner The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC; also sometimes called the Texas Railroad Commission, TRC) is the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and s ...

. Allen delivered a notable Commencement Address at

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

in 2011 where he encouraged graduates to use their education as an intellectual compass to guide them towards practical discovery and innovation, recognizing fellow alum

Shantanu Narayen Shantanu Narayen (born May 27, 1963) is an Indian-American business executive who has been the chairman, president, and chief executive officer (CEO) of Adobe Inc. since December 2007. Before this, he was the company's president and chief op ...

, CEO of

Adobe Systems Adobe Inc. ( ), formerly Adobe Systems Incorporated, is an American software, computer software company based in San Jose, California. It offers a wide range of programs from web design tools, photo manipulation and vector creation, through to ...

, who was present to receive a
Honorary Doctorate
It was the last graduation ceremony held in Anderson Arena and the last presided over by President

Cartwright Cartwright may refer to: * Cartwright (occupation), a tradesperson skilled in the making and repairing of carts or wagons * Cartwright (surname), including the list of people Places ; Australia * Cartwright, New South Wales ; Canada * Cart ...

. Allen is a Distinguished Graduate of the Department of Geology,

Bowling Green, Ohio Bowling Green is a city in Wood County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 30,808 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, it is part of the Toledo metropolitan area and ...

which awards th
Conrad & Deanna Allen Scholarship
annually. Allen delivered a historic speech in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

before the

American Association of Petroleum Geologists The American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) is one of the world's largest professional geological societies with about 17,000 members across 129 countries. The AAPG works to "advance the science of geology, especially as it relates to ...

urging the alliance between

AAPG The American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) is one of the world's largest professional geological societies with about 17,000 members across 129 countries. The AAPG works to "advance the science of geology, especially as it relates to ...

, NABGG an
AWG
and noting what he called a Social Sequence Boundary in the Oil Industry.2004 AAPG marks a "Social Sequence Boundary" in oil industry history http://www.aapg.org/business/hod/minutes/2003_05_11nabgg.cfm Allen is a former U.S. Army Officer earning Airborne Wings, the

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It was awarded to every member of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during any one of four s ...

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issu ...

and the

Army Achievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service of military personnel who were not eligible to rece ...

. He was a
adjunct professor
of geology at the

University of Houston–Downtown The University of Houston–Downtown (UHD) is a public university in Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1974 as University of Houston–Downtown College (UH–DC), it has a campus that spans in Downtown Houston with a satellite loc ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Conrad Keene 1968 births Living people American geologists People from Marion, Illinois