Tag Archives: IPAA

Petrochallenge student competition drills down to the top three teams

The sounds of students hard at work — plotting, drilling, and making deals — filled the room at Houston Community College-Southwest during the Independent Petroleum Association of America/Petroleum Equipment Suppliers Association (IPAA/PESA) Petrochallenge. Nearly 400 students participated in the annual four-day competition, which challenges young people to become leaders in the oil and gas industries through a simulation-based training tool called OilSim.

Students from different schools in Houston and Fort Worth not only predicted and acquired valuable blocks for oil and gas production, they were tasked with making deals among the different teams to test their business acumen. In the process, students learn about the methods used in the real world of oil and gas, the terminology used, and maybe even a new career option.

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“I’ve learned about water depth and geometrics and all this stuff I didn’t know about going in,” said Westside High School student Jason Levine.

When all was said and done, three teams of students from Milby and Westside high schools, as well as the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy (YWCPA), took home the top prizes. Each winning team received a monetary prize, but students say they gained so much more.

“I knew I wanted to be a petroleum engineer,” said YWCPA student and second-place team member Alyssa Dorelus. But coming here just reaffirmed what I already knew.”

The Petrochallenge is sponsored by Schlumberger, NExT, Occidental Petroleum Corporation, and IPAA/PESA.

Energy Institute named beneficiary of 2015 Offshore Technology Conference

Campus to receive proceeds from this annual event to support school programs

Houston, TX - OTC 2015 - Solange Guedes accepts the OTC Distinguished Achievement Award for Companies during the OTC Annual Awards dinner at the Offshore Technology Conference here today, Sunday May 3, 2015. The Society of Petroleum Engineers hosts the meeting at the NRG Park which has over 100,000 attendees from around the world to see the latest technology in the energy industry. Photo by © OTC/Todd Buchanan 2015 Contact Info: todd@corporateeventimages.com Keywords: (© OTC/Todd Buchanan 2015/Todd Buchanan)Each year, industry leaders gather together at the Offshore Technology Conference to recognize achievements, network with colleagues, and raise funds for a worthy cause. And each year, one organization is selected to receive the proceeds raised by the dinner held during the event.

The designated beneficiary of this year’s dinner is HISD’s own Energy Institute High School, which was created in 2013 in partnership with the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) and the Petroleum Equipment & Services Association (PESA). Continue reading →

HISD Officially Opens Energy Institute High School

What:  HISD, the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), and Houston energy executives will gather to officially open the district’s new Energy Institute High School. The school is the first of its kind in the nation and represents a collaborative effort between a public school district and industry leaders. The high school will provide students with a rigorous STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curriculum, hands-on learning, and externships in the fields of geoscience, alternative energy, and offshore technology.

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