Student geology team wins regional competition

Photo Credit: Justin Ahern, Shamar Chin, Conor Horton, Ted Matheson, Mingyu Yang, and Chris Fielding
March 17, 2016

A team of UNL geology graduate students won the Imperial Barrel Award Program (IBA) regional competition in Oklahoma City. They will compete in the international finals to be held later this year in Calgary, Canada.

The team members are Justin Ahern, Shamar Chin, Conor Horton, Ted Matheson, and Mingyu Yang. The faculty advisor is Chris Fielding.

The IBA is an annual prospective basin evaluation competition held by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) for geoscience graduate students from universities around the world. Teams analyze a dataset - geology, geophysics, land, production infrastructure, and other materials - prior to their local competition and delivers results in a 25 minute presentation to a panel of industry experts. Students use state of the art technology on a real dataset and receive feedback from the panel. Potential employers are part of the audience.

University teams compete to win scholarship funds and international recognition. The rigorous program promotes petroleum geoscience training and advances the careers of geoscience students.

The IBA is a hands-on opportunity for students to experience the process and science of the Energy Industry.