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This article was originally published on The University of Texas at Austin home page. It's a close-up look at UT energy research, with a segment focused on petroleum engineering, and is the first in a series of stories examining our strengths as the energy university.

UT PGE students Yogashri Pradhan and Wei Yu placed first at the 2015 SPE Regional Paper Contest in the B.S. and Ph.D. divisions, respectively. The paper contest is an annual competition that brings together undergraduate and graduate students who each present a topic of their choosing to a panel of industry judges.

Six UT PGE students competed in this year’s regional contest under the Southwestern North America region held at New Mexico Tech in Socorro, New Mexico, March 13-14. Before this year, UT PGE participated in the Gulf Coast region paper contest. Two students competed in each division (B.S., M.S. and Ph.D.) with three out of the six students placing among the Top 3.

As Dr. Jon Olson settles into his new chair position, bringing 20 years of faculty experience at UT Austin and a strong research background in hydraulic fracturing, he opens up about his vision for the department, his favorite UT PGE memories and how he spends his time outside the chair role.

One hundred years ago, the first woman to receive an engineering degree from The University of Texas at Austin graduated.

Two UT PGE staff members were announced as recipients of the prestigious 2015 President’s Outstanding Staff Award earlier this week. Graduate Program Coordinator, Frankie Hart, and Scientific Instrument Maker, Daryl Nygaard, who is also a part of the Center for Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering.

Only in the second year of his Ph.D. program, UT PGE’s Mohammad Eshkalak was surprised and honored when he heard the announcement that he is the sole winner of the esteemed Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Nico van Wingen Fellowship.

UT PGE undergraduate and graduate students competed in the annual SPE Local Student Paper Contest on February 6. The contest requires participants to execute a 20-minute presentation on their research topic or an academic/internship project and showcase it to a panel of industry judges. Three winners were chosen from each division, with the top two contestants of each division moving forward to compete in the 2015 SPE Regional Paper Contest.

You might think what's love got to do with UT PGE - it turns out quite a bit. In honor of the month of love, we are celebrating couples that met and started dating in the department.

Many of the world’s top scientists conducting research on an array of energy issues shared their views on the latest research findings, emerging trends and new technologies during the inaugural UT Energy Week, at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center.

Dr. Jon Olson, who currently holds the George H. Fancher Professorship in Petroleum Engineering and has spent 20 years as a faculty member at The University of Texas at Austin, has been appointed chair of the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (PGE) in the Cockrell School of Engineering.