AAPG's Imperial Barrel Award Program (IBA) is a program for geoscience graduate students from universities around the world.
University teams utilize a variety of real datasets (geology, geophysics, land, production infrastructure, and other relevant materials) chosen from one of three disciplines : petroleum, geothermal, or carbon capture and sequestration.
Over an 8 week period, student teams are coached by industry and academic advisors using state-of-the-art industry technology. Teams present their results to a panel of industry experts, with the winners selected based on technical quality, clarity and originality of the presentation.
Rice team members Jordan Jafar, Christine Reimer, Michael Zane Bey and David Juarez chose hydrocarbon exploration.
"Our team spent many weeks analyzing the Bristol Bay Basin in Alaska, identifying prospects through rigorous research, collaboration, and problem-solving. This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the guidance of our lecturers, mentors, and advisors. A huge thank you to everyone who supported us along the way!", says team member Jordan Jafar.
The Rice team earned 3rd place for the North American Region- the first time any Rice team has ranked in the competition’s nearly 50 year history.
Rice Adjunct Professor and Energy Industry professional with Murphy Oil Company, Catherine Donohue advised the team along with industry mentors James Pasley, Jarrett Levesh, and Lucia Torrado.
"The team this year was able to out compete several historic teams, including Colorado School of Mines and Georgia. Their success is entirely due to their own determination, teamwork, and technical abilities. Prior to the competition, it was clear that the team had already achieved respect from their industry advisors, and it is satisfying to see it acknowledged by the judges as well," Donohue said in an email following the announcement of the results.
The program is rigorous and contributes to AAPG's mission of promoting petroleum geoscience training and advancing the careers of geoscience students. "The IBA is a hands-on opportunity for students to experience the creative process and the high-tech science that is the foundation of the energy industry today."- AAPG
For more information visit AAPG's IBA website: https://iba.aapg.org/program