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NOC Events
Success in Prague competition
Undergraduate geologists from the University of Southampton’s School of Ocean and Earth Science, based at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOC), have scored a significant success in a prestigious competition run by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG).
The five-strong team scooped a silver medal for their presentation in the 2010 Imperial Barrel Award in Prague on Saturday (27 March). The award is an annual hydrocarbon basin and prospect evaluation competition, aimed mainly at post-graduate level students, where University teams analyse an industry data set for a period of two months prior to the European event.
The Southampton team came second behind IFP School in France, and saw off competition from 11 other teams from leading UK and European Universities.
The successful team of five Earth Scientists - Adam Carrizales, Leah Carwithen, Jeremy Hugall, Philippa Jones and Robert Morrow – delivered a 25-minute presentation on the petroleum prospects of an area in the Gulf of Mexico, and then answered questions from a jury of senior oil industry experts.
Team advisor, Dr Heiko Pälike, said: “The silver medal was an excellent result, and a great reflection on our students, especially as this was only the second time that a team from the University of Southampton had entered the competition This is not a one-off, however, as the Southampton team achieved third place in the previous year, - the first year we entered. This shows that the undergraduate degree courses at the School of Ocean and Earth Science in Southampton are extremely competitive within Europe, even in comparison with teams from more advanced post-graduate courses in other institutions.”
The AAPG Europe will give a cash prize of $2,500 to the School of Ocean and Earth Science, which can be used to enhance the student experience and further links with industry.
In early February, the University of Southampton received a data set from the Gulf of Mexico containing seismic reflection and well log data. This year, eight students elected to do the Barrel competition as a component part of their final year. The teams were advised by Heiko Pälike, and the competition followed on from the 4th year Basin Analysis course. The team and advisors are especially grateful to the enthusiasm and expert advice of external consultant John Brookes whose input was invaluable. The competition was a great learning event for the students and enabled them to make industry contacts, as well as experiencing a real business scenario. The competition in Prague was also good fun with camaraderie between teams and several interesting and enjoyable social functions organised over the weekend.
The running of AAPG Barrel Award Regional Finals was supported by ExxonMobil, Nexen, Statoil, Mol, CGGVeritas, Sterling Resources, Hess, Serica Energy, Total and Concedo.
Photograph: Winning team in Prague (complete with ‘Advisor’) with medals. From right to left: Student team Robert Morrow, Jeremy Hugall, Philippa Jones, Leah Carwithen, Adam Carrizales, external consultant John Brooks, and student advisor Dr Heiko Pälike.
