News

"If you don't know what you are doing in Svalbard, Svalbard will kill you." This quote is taken from the recently-launched multimedia Alcalde article on the UT PGE/Jackson School of Geosciences journey to the Arctic this summer.

Engineering has long been a field dominated by men, but a growing number of women are seeing this profession as a viable career path.

UT PGE launched three new hands-on laboratories that will advance energy research and transform how students learn about oil and gas.

Students from petroleum engineering departments all over the globe came together in New Orleans on September 30, 2013 at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) to face-off in an exciting international student paper contest as well as the signature PetroBowl event, a competitive academic, single-elimination tournament.

After weeks of practice, UT PGE scored big by placing first in the master’s student paper contest and third in the undergraduate paper contest. The PetroBowl team made it to the final round of the competition, taking second place after a strong battle against Colorado School of Mines.

Shaina Kelly, the winner of the Master’s student paper contest, presented her research titled, “Controlled Study of Pore Level Petrophysics via Customized Micro/Nanofluidic Devices” after taking home the trophy in both the local and regional paper contests.

“It’s very exciting to have the opportunity to compete as this level,” said Kelly. “To receive an award that is recognized throughout the PE community is really a nice sign of my hard work and dedication.”

In addition, Brandon Hilts took home the bronze medal in the undergraduate paper contest. He presented his research titled, “Managed Pressure Drilling.” Kan Wu represented the Gulf Coast region with her presentation in the PhD student paper contest, titled, “Fully Coupled Fluid Flow and Mechanics Modeling for Horizontal Wells, Multi-Frac Treatments.” Wu received a certificate for her participation in the contest.

PetroBowl is an annual academic competition at SPE ATCE in which teams of students face off in a quiz bowl format. The UT PGE PetroBowl team battled against 35 teams in a heated competition, testing their knowledge by answering questions about technical petroleum engineering, oil industry history, SPE history, world demand and production statistics, and current events. Five students represented UT PGE, including Daniel Sanchez-Rivera, Andreas Michael, Christopher Sioco, Christian Herrington and Jobin Varghese.

SPE faculty advisors include Deborah Hempel Medina, overall SPE advisor, David DiCarlo, advisor for the student paper contest, and Matt Balhoff, advisor for the PetroBowl team. Dr. Balhoff said the team spent about eight months getting ready to compete at the international level.

“These five students practiced weekly to prepare for the PetroBowl competition,” said Balhoff. “All of the hard work paid off in New Orleans. The students helped showcase UT Austin as one of the premier petroleum engineering departments in the world - it was a very proud day to be a Longhorn!”

Two outstanding UT PGE faculty members received prestigious awards from the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). Department Chair and Professor, Dr. Tad Patzek, received a Distinguished Membership in SPE and Dr. Kishore Mohanty accepted the Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal during the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) on October 2, 2013 in New Orleans.

Dr. Tad Patzek

SPE awarded Dr. Patzek with the Distinguished Membership honor for his valuable accomplishments in higher education. Established in 1983, the Distinguished Membership award recognizes SPE members worthy of special acknowledgement by attaining distinction in the petroleum industry or in academia, or who have made significant contributions to SPE.

Between 1990 and 2008, Patzek was a professor of geoengineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining Berkeley, he was a researcher at Shell Development. His passion for energy resources brought him to UT PGE in 2008, where he is serving his second term as department chair. Patzek has participated in the global debate on energy supply schemes, giving hundreds of press interviews and lectures around the world. He is also a part of the Ocean Engineering Safety Advisory Committee to the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, concerned with drilling safety in the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic.

Dr. Kishore Mohanty

Dr. Mohanty received the Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal, awarded by SPE in partnership with the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers. Established in 1936 by AIME as the first award to recognize contributions in petroleum engineering, this award is given to individuals who identify and develop new technology or concepts that will enhance the process of finding or producing oil.

Dr. Mohanty’s contributions to the oil production industry have been numerous. He pioneered wettability alteration as a key mechanism to enhance oil recovery. He has established world-class research programs on chemical enhanced oil recovery, near-miscible gas EOR, fractured reservoir EOR, pore-scale network modeling and gas recovery from hydrate reservoirs at ARCO, UH and UT. Dr. Mohanty has been a Distinguished Member of SPE since winning the Distinguished Member Award in 2007. He also received the Peer Apart: Top Technical Reviewers Award from SPE in the same year.

This fall, UT PGE welcomes a talented class of almost 200 graduate students. These incoming scholars are a diverse group with ranging research interests and specialties.

The scientific complexity of recovering oil and gas continues to grow as the “easy” hydrocarbons have been depleted. With millions of dollars at stake for each well drilled, it is critical companies receive strong intelligence from a technical perspective in order to optimize prediction and planning.

The Society of Petroleum Engineers Faculty Grant for Innovative Teaching recently recognized The University of Texas at Austin Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering Associate Professor David DiCarlo for his expertise and cutting-edge teaching techniques by presenting him with the 2013 SPE Teaching Excellence Award.

Honoring faculty who commit to excellence as well as innovation, the SPE award is part of a global awards program that aims to encourage others within academia to adopt comparable techniques “in order to support the attraction and retention of faculty.”

Eligibility for the award requires a third-party nomination and faculty members considered for the award must also teach at a university with an active SPE chapter program.

Known for his Socratic teaching method, in which he calls on at least 10 students by name per class and asks them a qualitative question to which they have to provide a short answer, DiCarlo is recognized as a faculty favorite among students. He consistently receives high performance reviews from his students and relates his subject matter to practical applications within industry.

DiCarlo also adopts a traditional approach to teaching that he says he finds more effective—writing notes on the blackboard. Although many professors find PowerPoint slides a quick and easy technique, DiCarlo observes that students learn effectively in the real-time action of physically writing course notes as it involves them more in the class.

“I believe that graduating well-educated, well-rounded petroleum engineers is the crux of this department’s mission,” he says. “I’m thrilled to win the SPE Teaching Excellence award, and I’m glad that my efforts in achieving this goal have been recognized by SPE.”

As an active member of SPE and current faculty advisor for the UT Austin student chapter, DiCarlo logs many hours helping with chapter events and participating in networking sessions. He also organizes the SPE Student Paper Contest and assists students as they refine their competitive presentations.

The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System has chosen 26 faculty members from The University of Texas at Austin, including petroleum and geosystems engineering's assistant professor Matt Balhoff, to receive 2013 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards, its highest teaching honor.

The awards program is one of the nation’s largest monetary teaching recognition programs in higher education, honoring outstanding performance in the classroom and dedication to innovation in undergraduate instruction.

A total of $1.6 million will be awarded to educators from all 15 UT System institutions during a ceremony Wednesday, Aug. 21, at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center on the UT Austin campus.

“We are deeply grateful to the regents for their ongoing commitment to honor our very best and most dedicated faculty. These awards recognize the immeasurable impact teachers have on our students, who will shape the future of our communities across Texas and the nation,” said UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa.

Established in 2008, the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards program recognizes educators who deliver the highest quality of undergraduate instruction through demonstrated excellence in teaching and sustained excellence in all aspects of instruction.

Faculty members undergo a series of rigorous evaluations by students, peer faculty members and external reviewers. The review panels consider a range of activities and criteria in their evaluations including classroom expertise, curricula quality, innovative course development and student learning outcomes.

"Undergraduate teaching is critical to the mission of our university,” said Steven Leslie, executive vice president and provost of The University of Texas at Austin. “During their years on campus, students are inspired to learn, think critically and solve society's issues. These outstanding faculty members are shaping our next generation of leaders and problem-solvers. This recognition from the Board of Regents is well-deserved."

The 2013 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards recipients from The University of Texas at Austin are:

• Matthew Thomas Balhoff, assistant professor in the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering and Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Centennial Fellowship #1 in Petroleum Engineering
• Jay L. Banner, director of the Environmental Science Institute and professor in the Jackson School of Geosciences
• Amit Bhasin, assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
• Steven R. Biegalski, director of the Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory and associate professor of mechanical engineering
• Christopher P. Brown, Early Childhood Program area graduate adviser and program coordinator and associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction
• Martin “Randy” Cox, director of individual events and senior lecturer in the Department of Communication Studies
• Kathryn Dawson, assistant professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance
• Arturo De Lozanne, University Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology
• Cassandra Delgado-Reyes, assistant director and specialist of the Texas Interdisciplinary Plan in the College of Natural Sciences
• Henry A. Dietz, University Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Government
• Andrew K. Dunn, associate professor of biomedical engineering and the Roberta Woods Ray Centennial Fellow in Engineering
• Matt Fajkus, Fellow of the Center for Sustainable Development and assistant professor in the School of Architecture
• Toyin Falola, professor in the Department of History
• Andrea Flower, assistant professor in the Department of Special Education
• Kevin J. Folliard, Austin Industries Endowed Teaching Fellow and professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
• Don B. Graham, J. Frank Dobie Regents Professor of American and English Literature in the Department of English
• Simon M. Humphrey, assistant professor of inorganic chemistry
• James A. Karboski, clinical professor in the College of Pharmacy
• Allen MacDuffie, assistant professor in the Department of English
• Sonia Paban, associate professor in the Physics Department
• Elizabeth C. Pomeroy, co-director of the Institute for Grief, Loss and Family Survival and professor in the School of Social Work
• Catherine Riegle-Crumb, assistant professor of STEM education and faculty research associate in the Population Research Center, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
• K. Sata Sathasivan, senior lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences
• Elizabeth Stepp, lecturer in the Department of Mathematics
• Peter Stone, professor in the Department of Computer Science
• Don E. Winget, Harlan J. Smith Centennial Professor of Astronomy and University Distinguished Teaching Professor, Department of Astronomy and the McDonald Observatory

In geographic coordinates, Austin, Texas lays 17°N and 44°W – Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway rests at 78°N and 15°E, only 800 miles from the North Pole. UT PGE sent 20 students and five professors to this remote Arctic location to study the unique geology.