24/02/2011: SPE Board Visit to the Petroleum Institute
The Petroleum Engineering Department at the Petroleum Institute (PI) hosted a delegation comprising members of the Board of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) on 24 February 2011. The SPE Board, which was convening in Abu Dhabi for their annual meeting, took off time to visit the PI and interact with the faculty and students of Petroleum Engineering.
Dr. Hemanta Sarma, Chairman and Professor of the Petroleum Engineering Department, officially welcomed the delegation to the PI. He highlighted the active participation of the PI in the SPE activities, and in particular, the support received from the SPE Abu Dhabi Section and the PI management and the ADNOC Group of Companies for faculty in their professional pursuits.
This was followed by a brief introduction of the Petroleum Engineering Program by Dr. Ismail Tag, Senior Vice President and Provost. He highlighted the achievements of the undergraduate and graduate programs, research work supported by the ADNOC OPCOs and association with reputed universities in the PE program. He also emphasized the role of faculty in training not only future petroleum engineers, but also industry professionals through ADNOC’s Competency Assurance Management System (CAMS) Program. Dr. Tag also lauded students who had won awards at regional level paper contests. On the SPE activity front, special mention was made about the recently inaugurated female chapter and female representation in the chapter committee.
Dr. Shawket Ghedan, SPE Chapter Faculty Advisor, commended the increased participation by students in the SPE activities. Mr. Ahmed Al Tandi, Secretary of the PI SPE student chapter, also welcomed the Board members and highlighted several initiatives by the Chapter.
Dr. Alain Labastie, SPE President 2011, addressed the audience on behalf of the SPE International Board. He emphasized the role of SPE as a member-driven society, and also reminded students of their responsibilities, as future leaders of the energy industry. SPE memberships also hold a vital link towards making the right career decisions, by giving students the opportunity to interact with industry professionals and academia, Dr. Labastie said. Dr Labastie introduced members of the SPE delegation, including Dr. Ganesh Thakur, SPE President 2012. The highlight of the event was an interactive session between the Board members and the audience. The discussions centered on the future possibilities for the oil and gas industry in the Middle East, the importance of the digital age in preserving expertise and resources, safety regulations, and unconventional sources of energy.
There was also special focus on the role of women in the industry. Ms. Hosnia Hashim, SPE Regional Director for the Middle East, and Deputy Managing Director of the Kuwait Oil Company, extolled the display of confidence and encouraged female students to break the stereotype of the oil industry being male dominated, and took an example of her own career to show what heights could be reached through hard work and passion for the job.
Ms. Nada Abou Sayed, Vice-President of the SPE Student Chapter, concluded the event by thanking the SPE Board members for their visit, and for having given students the invaluable opportunity to share thoughts with industry leaders, represented by the Board.
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