The International Petroleum Technology Conference, IPTC is the flagship multidisciplinary technical event in the Eastern Hemisphere. IPTC is sponsored by four industry organizations and societies namely; the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE), the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG), and the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).
The oil and gas industry continues to invest in initiatives aimed at engaging young people in the energy sector in order to ensure the world’s ever-growing energy demands will be met. IPTC supports this effort through its educational activities. This year’s edition of IPTC was held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with Saud Aramco as the exclusive host.
At each IPTC event, the top 100 undergraduate science, geoscience and engineering students from around the world are invited to participate in IPTC’s Education Week. This program aims to give students a clear insight into the industry they are about to join and the opportunity to interact with a number of major industry employers who are looking to recruit the best talent from institutions around the world.
Four students from the Department of Geology and Petroleum Studies, College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS), Makerere University; Busingye Diana, Oyire Gerald, Kusolo Solomon Matanda and Mugoya Michael, were successfully selected to be part of the 2022 Education Week that took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 19 to 23 February 2022.
During the five-day programme, the students experienced a multitude of activities that aimed at preparing them for a life beyond the university. These activities included developing their professional skills by learning together on joint projects, networking with their peers and executives in the oil and gas industry, attending IPTC technical and panel sessions and participating in dynamic road trips. Students were grouped into 19 different teams where they participated in different competitions such as the Geo-steering competition organized by ROGII, Scavenger Hunt by Schlumberger and the Field Development challenge using Petrel and PIPESIM organized by Schlumberger.
The Makerere students team won first place award in both the Field Development challenge and the Geo-steering challenge. Special thanks to the Faculty Advisor (SPE), Mr. Kawule Wycliff, for nominating the students to apply for this prestigious event, and to the entire staff of the Department of Geology and Petroleum Studies for the support accorded to the students.