Barry Russell, President & CEO, IPAA

The 2016-2017 school year closed with many activities having been provided for the students in the five IPAA/PESA Petroleum Academies. These would not have been possible without the tremendous support of the many companies, organizations and individuals who have helped sustain the work of the IPAA/PESA Energy Education Center.

This year marked an outstanding year of academic success for the students in the petroleum academies, with there being three valedictorians, two salutatorians and numerous top 10 students in the 2017 graduating class. Congratulations to all students, parents and campus personnel.

We are very thankful for the involvement of the following organizations that provide industry field trips, camps and support for our students, many on multiple occasions: Bureau of Economic Geology, Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant, Consumer Energy Alliance’s Houston Energy Day, Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, Gearhart Industries, Gulf Publishing’s Women’s Global Leadership Conference, High Island beach trenching, Houston Geological Society, Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Offshore Energy Center, Perot Museum, Dallas, Physics Day at Six Flags, Schlumberger Surfside Beach Cleanup, Texas A&M University, Texas Christian University Energy Institute and Fossil Dig, Weir Oil & Gas, and the University of Texas at Arlington.

This year we continued our major competitions: the Shell STEM Showdown at the University of Houston with involvement by Rice University, University of Houston, University of St. Thomas, and University of Texas, Austin with 840 students participating by this September. PetroChallenge 2017 took place with sponsorship by Occidental Petroleum, Schlumberger and the Schlumberger company, NExT, with 1,500 students particating to date. In Fort Worth, the Southwest High School Professional Speaking Competition was supported by American Association of Drilling Engineers companies: Creighton Drilling Services, Integrity Directional, Reef Oil and Gas, and Weatherford International.

The Guest Speaker Lecture Series Conference in Houston Academies continued to model how students should prepare for and conduct professional presentations. These conferences were made possible through the support of Core Laboratories, Marathon Oil, National Ocean Industries Association, Schlumberger, Southwestern Energy. Additionally, guest speakers from the following organizations presented to academy students, many on multiple occasions at multiple academies: Apache, Barnett Shale Energy Education Council, EOG Resources, Halliburton JRC, INEOS, Limerock, Lockheed, Magnolia Global Engineering, Occidental Petroleum, Railroad Commission of Texas, Texland Petroleum, Weir Oil &Gas, and XTO Energy.

Also this year, we were again invited by Shell to join the INROADS program where support is given to students throughout their college careers, and 30 of our top academy students and alumni were invited to participate. The second annual Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) Technology Challenge was held at the University of Houston. Ninety academy students participated in the outstanding event and we are thankful to BSEE, the Ocean Energy Safety Institute (OESI) and the University of Houston for the invitation to participate. EOG Resources provided valuable advice from their college recruiters in the EOG Resources ‘Transition to College’ luncheons and qualifying seniors received their Anadarko-sponsored Academy medals and the Newfield Exploration ‘Life After School Explained’ books.

To date 559 students, who meet the rigorous selection criteria, have participated in an externship. In summer 2017, we conducted our 8th annual Externship program in which 83 students experienced the real world of work in 18 different oil and gas companies: Cameron, Core Laboratories, Distribution NOW, Halliburton, HarbisonFischer, Marathon Oil, Newfield Exploration, Occidental Petroleum, Schlumberger, Shell, Southwestern Energy, TechnipFMC, Texland Petroleum, Weatherford, Weir Oil & Gas Houston and Fort Worth, W&T Offshore, and XTO Energy. Externs received college scholarships provided by their host company. Senior scholarships were generously provided by IPAA/PESA Education Advisory Board member, Alicia Elias, Apache Corporation and EOG Resources.

Thank you again to all the many and various organizations and individuals who contributed to this past semester’s success and helping to create the next generation of talented energy professionals.