Academics

Penn State Society of Petroleum Engineers named 2016 Outstanding Student Chapter

SPE Penn State's executive board for 2015-16, all petroleum and natural gas engineering students (L-R): Adam Larson (president, 2016-17), MinHoo Kim (graduate representative), Greg Kojadinovich (vice president), Derrick Shields (president), Flavio Bombonato (secretary), Ben Sweeney (program chair), David Mitchell (junior class representative). Not pictured: Prashanth Sridhar (treasurer). Credit: Adam LarsonAll Rights Reserved.

Penn State’s Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) was recently named a 2016 Outstanding Student Chapter by the international SPE organization. The chapter will be recognized during a luncheon at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, held Sept. 26-28.

SPE is the largest individual-member organization serving managers, engineers, scientists and other professionals worldwide in the production segment of the oil and gas industry.

The Outstanding Student Chapter award recognizes those that excel in five critical areas — industry engagement, operations and planning, community involvement, professional development and innovation.

“This is a huge award not only for SPE Penn State but also Penn State’s petroleum and natural gas engineering program as a whole,” said Derrick Shields, who was president of the student chapter during the 2015-16 academic year. 

Shields graduated in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering and is currently pursuing an M.S. in chemical engineering at Penn State.

“This speaks volumes to the hard work all the officers put in, as well as to the dedication of all our members,” he said.

Penn State petroleum and natural gas engineering students Adam Larson and Tyler Farman receive a $5,000 donation from EQT for Positive Energy, an SPE subcommittee focused on environmental philanthropy. Credit: Adam LarsonAll Rights Reserved.

Some of the highlights of the past year for Penn State’s chapter include: industry networking at an internationally-sponsored SPE event in Morgantown, West Virginia, and at an SPE student symposium at Chevron’s headquarters in Houston, Texas; partnerships with other SPE chapters in the region, such as the student chapter at the University of Pittsburgh; expanding the SPE footprint through Positive Energy, an SPE subcommittee focused on environmental philanthropy; improvements to the chapter’s social media presence; and the creation of a website that seeks to help graduates of Penn State’s petroleum and natural gas engineering program find jobs across the U.S.

“During the three years I’ve been on the executive board, I’ve seen the chapter grow by leaps and bounds,” said Adam Larson, a junior petroleum and natural gas engineering student who will assume the role of president of the chapter during 2016-17. “We owe a lot of our success to our professors, as well as our adviser, Eugene Morgan.”

Morgan is an assistant professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering at Penn State.

About SPE Penn State:

Comprising both undergraduate and graduate students, Penn State’s student chapter strives to bring students, faculty, alumni and distinguished members of industry together to network through community service, lecture series, and national and global conferences.

About SPE:

SPE is the largest individual-member organization serving managers, engineers, scientists and other professionals worldwide in the production segment of the oil and gas industry.

Last Updated August 15, 2016

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