UH Team Places Third in AAPG Gulf Coast IBA Regional Competition


UH Team Places Third in AAPG Gulf Coast IBA Regional Competition

IBA Regional CompetitionThe University of Houston 2012 Imperial Barrel Award (IBA) team placed third in a field of 10 universities at the Gulf Coast IBA Regional Competition held in Houston on March 30. The team, Bryan Ott, Jesse Ortega, Jordan Sayers and Susan Green, took home a trophy and $1,000 prize for the UH Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences scholarship fund. The faculty co-advisors of the 2012 team were Dr. John Castagna, professor of geophysics, and Dr. Paul Mann, professor of geology.

The regional winner, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, will go to the international competition at the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) meeting in Long Beach, California.

The AAPG’s IBA program is an annual prospective basin evaluation competition for geoscience graduate students from universities around the world. University teams compete to win scholarship funds for their department and the international recognition that comes from competing or winning.

In this global competition, university teams analyze a dataset (geology, geophysics, land, production infrastructure, and other relevant materials) in the eight weeks prior to their local competition. Each team delivers their results in a 25-minute presentation to a panel of industry experts.

Students have the chance to use state of the art technology on a real dataset, receive feedback from an industry panel, impress potential employers in the audience, and win cash awards for their school. The judges select the winning team on the basis of the technical quality, clarity and originality of presentation.

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.