The SPE Student Chapter from Texas Tech U. was recognized as the 2006 Outstanding Student Chapter at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) in San Antonio. The award came largely in recognition of the chapter’s outstanding contributions to the community around the school and its maintaining a strong, cohesive organization during significant changes in their department’s administration. The chapter also won Student Organization of the Year at Texas Tech.
Finalists for the award included the U. of Ibadan, Istanbul Technical U., King Fahd U. of Petroleum and Minerals, Malaysia U. of Technology, and Pennsylvania State U.
The U. of Ibadan chapter hosted a quiz competition among high school students as part of its “Catch-Them-Young” outreach program. Winning students and their teachers were invited guests at the chapter’s annual dinner and awards banquet.
At Istanbul Technical U., students worked to build community and professionalism among members. One of their proudest accomplishments is an agreement with the Chamber of Petroleum Engineers in Turkey to offer certified short courses that will allow graduates to become engineering managers at filling and service stations.
Besides hosting a visit by 2005 SPE President Giovanni Paccaloni, King Fahd U. focused on volunteerism, including hosting a beach-cleaning day to get the message to the public that petroleum engineers care about the environment. In addition to maintaining a very active chapter, the group worked to establish the Middle East Student Council to pull together representatives from the growing programs in that region.
The students at Malaysia U. of Technology sponsored 22 events over the year, including participation in the Shell Inter-Varsity Student Paper Presentation Contest. The students helped publicize that event to all universities in the country through a website, mailings, and mass media.
At Pennsylvania State U., the chapter focused on growth, largely in membership and visibility. Attendance at chapter meetings almost doubled over the preceding year, and there was a similar increase in attendance at ATCE. Revitalization of interest in the group has spread to include students from other colleges and organizations on campus, and fund raising has increased significantly during the past year.