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PESA Supports PetroChallenge Student Competition

2018 PetroChallenge

2018 PetroChallenge

The IPAA/PESA Energy Education Center, alongside Occidental and Schlumberger, will sponsor PetroChallenge, the annual two-day student competition where more than 200 Houston and Fort Worth high school students will participate and experience what it feels like to work for a U.S. energy company.

The PetroChallenge takes place February 20-21 at the Houston Community College Alief Campus. Students will study seismic surveys, compete for production rigs and negotiate deals. Participants will also gain insight into the risks and challenges of oil and gas exploration, as well as gain exposure to real oil and gas technical processes and terminology, such as magnetic, gravimetric and seismic surveys, service providers, the environment and net present value calculations.

Each student team starts out with an imaginary $200 million budget as it enters a new oil and gas field, competing against other teams to discover viable volumes of oil and gas while minimizing costs and acting in a socially and environmentally responsible way.

The IPAA/PESA Energy Education Center provides support to varying educational initiatives like this throughout the year to further STEM and energy education.

[su_quote cite=”Leslie Beyer, President, PESA”]“The PetroChallenge is an opportunity to help introduce the next generation of oil and gas professionals to an exceptional team working experience, developing collaborative skills and understanding competition in a simulated real-life setting. We are proud to be a part of this program.”[/su_quote]

The IPAA/PESA sponsorship allows for the PetroChallenge to put on a series of educational and competitive events held at schools and universities to develop students’ knowledge of the oil and gas industry and their interest in pursuing educational and professional careers in the industry. The challenge falls right into what the IPAA/PESA Energy Education Center aims to deliver in terms of energy education.

“This innovative and educational competition offers high school students the unique opportunity to experience a day in the life of a U.S. oil and gas company by applying real-world skills and career knowledge,” Barry Russell, President and CEO, IPAA said. “Through experiences like PetroChallenge, we have the ability to inspire the next generation of talented energy professionals who will drive this industry forward.”

The Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) and the Petroleum Equipment & Services Association (PESA) Energy Education Center – composed of five high school engineering, geoscience and leadership academies within the Houston and the Fort Worth Independent School Districts and a middle school STEM Career Exploration initiative in the Permian Basin – has the mission to provide students with a multidisciplinary, advanced academic learning experience in science, engineering, mathematics and emerging technology concepts needed to pursue professional training and degrees within the oil and natural gas industry.

To learn more about the Energy Education Committee and the IPAA/PESA Energy Education Center, contact Vice President Programs & Strategy Molly Determan.

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