A hands-on opportunity for students to experience the creative process behind modern energy.

The Imperial Barrel Award (IBA) is AAPG’s flagship graduate-level prospect-evaluation competition. Since 2007 it has trained students on real subsurface data, mentored by working professionals, and judged by an industry panel.

About IBA Programs

AAPG’s Imperial Barrel Award Program (IBA) is an annual subsurface basin evaluation program for geoscience students from universities around the world. University teams compete to win scholarship funds for their geoscience department and the international recognition that comes from competing in or winning the competition. The program is rigorous and contributes to AAPG’s mission of promoting petroleum geoscience training and advancing the careers of geoscience students.

 

In this global educational program university teams analyze a dataset (geology, geophysics, land, production infrastructure, and other relevant materials) in the ten weeks prior to their respective Region competition. There are three disciplines to choose from: petroleum, geothermal, and carbon capture and sequestration. 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 of judges, and win cash awards for their school. technical quality, clarity and originality of the 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.

Participating in the IBA competition was such a uniquely challenging and exciting experience and I would encourage anyone who is considering a career in the energy industry to pursue this opportunity. The first step of organizing and assembling UK’s first IBA team was a challenge in itself. We started as relatively inexperienced team with minimal petroleum-specific training and education. Fortunately, we were surrounded by academic and industry mentors who supported and encouraged us through the entire process. By the end of the competition, the five of us were comfortable and confident in our new skills and abilities as petroleum geoscientists. Through the support of AAPG and its sponsors, we were provided access to industry-leading software and data that we would otherwise not have access too. Having such an extensive dataset and a limited amount of time required us to not only fully understand the components of petroleum systems, but also be able to interpret them and collaborate as a team, creating goals and assigning tasks based on the assessed strengths of each individual. The competition is an intensive exercise that allows students to experience the processes involved in petroleum exploration in a more tangible way than the classroom can facilitate. This program has provided an excellent jump-start to my career in the industry and I am proud to say that I played a role in initiating participation in the program at the University of Kentucky.

Phil Wolfe
2014 University of Kentucky