SPE Petrobowl 2017

...it was a wonderful experience for everyone in the end and really helped to continue HWU's recognition within SPE, capping of an outstanding year for us with our colleagues Ken Sorbie and Eric Mackay winning two major SPE awards, and the Edinburgh SPE Chapter received the best UK student chapter awards, and last but not least you represented the UK and Europe at the Petrobowl finals

For the first time HWU Edinburgh submitted a team to the SPE’s Petrobowl Competition and the team won through the European qualifying round to compete in the International Petrobowl finals in San Antonio in October 2017. They were supported by the Adrian Todd Golden Key Student Fund, along with the Watt Club and by Geo2Flow. They distinguished themselves well although they didn’t progress far in the finals against tough opposition. The team from UNNM (Mexico) ran out Winners.

The team comprised Ming-Yi Wong, Hydra Walesca Rodriguez, Mark Lakos, Muzammil Hussain Rammay and Zharas Sohrabek and we are very grateful to them for volunteering to do this.

This was how the Petrobowl Team summed up their experience:

As you may all know our HWU PetroBowl Team haven’t succeeded in the finals in San Antonio, or at least not achieved the expectations. Even though, we faced it as a winning experience: the technical and non-technical skills that we acquired, the team-building, the fundraising, the networking… it was a unique experience, no one can take it from us and we can only be grateful for the immense dedication by many to make this happen. The fact that we went to the International Championship in a strategic position was crucial to set the standards for all UK universities, especially for the IPE at HWU, shaping a path for those to follow. We really hope this project can be continued and became a successful tradition in the IPE, and also would dare to say that if so, a new team should be set up as soon as possible. The nature of this competition is not purely about knowledge of the O&G industry, but how participants craft their ability to answer the specific type of questions as quick as possible. The triumphant teams are mostly formed by undergraduate students that appear to prepare themselves for years focusing on those questions. In the IPE context, time is against us, but every year there are talented and dedicated students that could engage on it, and even if the trophy is not brought to Edinburgh, the outcome will always be positive for the students. And in the end of the day, it is all about them… about their development. Thank you again for helping us in this opportunity.

Prof Sebastian Geiger said of the HWU Petrobowl 2017 team’s achievement:

I would like to congratulate all of you to this fantastic achievement – and thank in particular the former SPE Chapter President Huzaifah for the vision to put a team together. Yes, it was a lot of work (as we did it for the first time) and yes we did not win it all, but it was a wonderful experience for everyone in the end and really helped to continue HWU’s recognition within SPE, capping of an outstanding year for us with our colleagues Ken Sorbie and Eric Mackay winning two major SPE awards, and the Edinburgh SPE Chapter received the best UK student chapter awards, and last but not least you represented the UK and Europe at the Petrobowl finals. I also heard from our Geo2Flow friends how much they enjoyed interacting with you in San Antonio! I really hope that we will make the Petrobowl a tradition now and continue our strong links with SPE, rather than having it as a one-off event. The 2nd time around is always easier for everyone as we know what works well and what could be done better, and what we need to expect at the Petrobowl finals. With some PhD students on our Petrobowl team, we can pass the knowledge onto the next generation, and possibly even the leader for the next team. Thank you all for your time and commitment – these kind of student events are something you will never forget when remembering your time at HWU.