By Abdulrahim Mulhim

SPE-KSA’s student outreach team’s exceptional work during the first quarter of 2023 paid its dividends by adding three student chapters in the eastern and western provinces. The new chapters were established at the Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, Alasala Colleges, and University of Business and Technology (UBT), raising the number of SPE University Chapters in kingdom to nine chapters. The main objective of the chapters is to provide the students with an operating framework for society activity at a university level. The team’s commitment to outreach universities kingdom wide reflects SPE-KSA mission and vision to bridge the gap between academia and the energy industry. 

The newly added chapters, along with SPE-JIC were the first to join SPE family for more than 10 years. Furthermore, UBT chapter is considered as the first SPE student chapter in Jeddah, which will serve as a base to expand SPE-KSA footprint in the western province. Overall, SPE-KSA will be enabled to outreach and engage with at least additional 1000 students across the kingdom as a result of establishing these chapters.

By Abdullah F. Bubshait, Nayef Almugrin, SO team members. 

As a result of the team’s strategic planning and dedication, the Student Outreach (SO) Team is celebrating reaching +1000 student members all over the kingdom. This achievement signifies a momentous milestone for SPE-KSA, with an astonishing increase of 137%, resulting in advancing SPE-KSA’s worldwide ranking from the 26th to 5th place in students’ memberships and number of university chapters. It reflects the growing interest and enthusiasm of the students to join SPE and benefit from its various programs and activities. The relentless efforts of the Student Outreach (SO) Team have paved the way to provide students with opportunities to develop their skills, network with industry professionals, and learn about the latest trends and technologies in the oil and gas sector.

SPE-KSA Student Outreach (SO) Team is always looking for new ways to expand its reach and impact by welcoming any suggestions or feedback from students, faculty members, or SPE members on how to improve its activities and initiatives and also invites anyone who is interested in volunteering or collaborating with them to contact them directly.

The Student Outreach (SO) Team would like to thank all students who have joined SPE and participated in its events and assured to continue its efforts to inspire and empower the next generation of engineers in the kingdom.

By Ghaida Aljuhani, Lujain Alawami, and Nayef Almugrin – SPE-KSA Student Outreach Team

SPE-KSA Student Outreach – University Flagship 1st and 2nd Rig Visit

By Nayef Almugrin, Ghaida Aljuhani and Batool Alsunbul – SPE-KSA Student Outreach 

The Student Outreach Team organized the 1st and 2nd University Flagship Rig Visits on January 17th and June 14th, respectively, at Drilling and Workover (D&WO) facilities at Saudi Aramco. More than 600 student applications were received, and a total of 60 university students from diverse backgrounds and universities within the kingdom attended both visits. The visits aimed to provide them with real-life experience and expand their knowledge of the oil and gas industry. The students had the opportunity to visit an oil drilling rig, in addition of various supporting facilities within D&WO, observing its operations firsthand. 

During the 1st University Flagship rig visit, the day began with a tour of the Real-Time Operating Center (RTOC) in the Drilling and Workover Department. The students were introduced to the RTOC’s main drilling principles and techniques, as well as the monitoring system that is used to remotely monitor hundreds of oil and gas rigs around the kingdom. Following the RTOC tour, the students were divided into two groups and visited two different rigs. During the field trip, students were able to witness an operational rig and be exposed to the main components of the rig including the monkey board, doghouse and electrical control house.

During the 2nd University Flagship rig visit, the students began with a trip to the rig site, followed by a visit to the RTOC. Following their visit to the RTOC, the students attended the Safety Zone of the Drilling and Workover Training Division, where they were educated on the significance of safety culture in maintaining an incident-free workplace. Lastly, the students had the opportunity to visit the Drilling and Workover Well Control School, where they were able to witness various types of well control simulators and safely simulate and test real-time operations prior to drilling. 

Both visits provided the students with a comprehensive understanding of drilling rigs and the vast natural resources they provide, which can ultimately benefit society and the country’s economy.

On March 1st, the Student Outreach Team organized a site visit in collaboration with Petroleum Engineering & Development (PE&D) in Saudi Aramco. Amongst +250 student applications, 35 passionate students have been selected from 8 different universities across the kingdom from diverse disciplines and backgrounds. The students visited 5 diverse destinations during the visit, these were:

• Upstream Innovation Center (UIC)

• Geosteering Operation Center (GOC)

• Upstream Professional Development Center (UPDC)

• Exploration and Petroleum Engineering Center – Advanced Research Center (EXPEC ARC)

• EXPEC Computer Center (ECC). 

Discovering today’s advanced technologies in the oil & gas industry and how the wells are monitored nowadays, in addition to witnessing the various upstream educational centers and 4IR technologies which have been a significant opportunity to expand their expertise in the field. Incredible participation from the enthusiastic young students during the visit to be marked as a success in helping them to connect their studies to the world and business today, as well as an outstanding engagement with the employees filling their curiosity and concerns.

By Ghaida Al Juhani, YP and SO Team member

Giving the youth greater prominence when mapping the future of energy has never been more important than now. SPE-KSA continues to empower and invest in young individuals.

During the Middle East Oil, Gas & Geoscience Show (MEOS/GEO), as part of the Young Professionals and Students Program (YPS), SPE-KSA’s Young Professionals and Student Outreach Teams have conducted two successful programs to nurture and cultivate the next generation of young talents by equipping them with knowledge and leadership skills to excel in the field of energy. 

The first program is a workshop titled “Emerging Leaders” session that attempts to expose young participants to actual leadership issues in order to increase their knowledge of the abilities they need to develop. More than 100 young professionals and students from diverse nationalities and educational backgrounds attended the program, exhibited remarkable involvement, and provided positive feedback on it.

The second program is a workshop titled “Energy4me: Train the Teacher”. In the workshop, teachers conducted several first-hand interactive experiments to learn more about oil and gas concepts and processes. The workshop’s aim is to spread energy knowledge in an accessible manner, spark curiosity, and draw upcoming young talent to the sector. The program was well-attended, with over 30 teachers representing more than 5 international schools within the Kingdom of Bahrain. The knowledge gained by teachers is expected to be transferred to over 3000 students to attract bright young people to the exciting world of engineering.

Youth has a huge potential to play an active role in the energy transition; therefore, it is important to empower the youth of today for a sustainable and smooth energy transition.

By Fawaz Alboghail and Abdulrahman Alrumaih 

In collaboration with “The Gas &Oil Technology Showcase and Conference (GOTECH)” in Dubai from 13-15 of March, SPE-KSA’s Student Outreach Team has supported four exceptional Saudi undergraduate students to receive a fully funded sponsorship to participate in the Student Education Week program in the conference. SPE-KSA representatives showed remarkable engagement and outstanding performance, where 2 Saudi Students, Majed Al-Essa from KFUPM and Abdulaziz Boareesh from PMU, respectively, have competed against +65 international students and won the 1st and 3rd place for the best sustainability project which was sponsored by Dragon Oil. This is a testament of the caliber of SPE-KSA students. 

By Danna Khattab 

SPE-KSA’s Student Outreach Team have conducted A Student Abstract Workshop in collaboration with the IPTC 2024 SPE subcommittee at King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals, on Tuesday,30th of May, 2023. 

Dr. Yaser Alduailej, a respected professional in the industry, led a workshop on the art of writing successful abstracts. Dr. Alduailej completed his academic journey with a BSc in Chemistry, a MSc in Petroleum Engineering, and a PhD in Petroleum Engineering. He has authored and co-authored more than 17 technical papers and holds 4 granted patents. Additionally, he is an active member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

The workshop drew more than 50 students from various universities and young professionals, and Dr. Alduailej engaged the attendees in a discussion about the importance of abstracts in the scientific community. He then provided a step-by-step guide detailing various methods and approaches for writing effective abstracts. At the end of the workshop, Dr. Alduailej shared valuable tips on what to do and not to do while writing an abstract.

The workshop was highly productive and engaged the audience thoroughly, with many questions being asked and insightful discussions taking place.

By Ali Alshuwaikhat, Khalid Almasri, Batool Alsunbul and Abdulaziz Alsubaie – SPE-KSA Student Outreach Team

As part of SPE-KSA Student Outreach responsibilities to support and motivate the Kingdom’s university students to excel, achieve, and boost their knowledge in technical and non-technical aspects, the team has conducted several visits to the active student chapters in KFUPM, KFU, KSU, and PMU over the past three months. The objectives of these visits were to share knowledge, enhance and strengthen communication between professionals and academia, create synergy between SPE-KSA and student chapters, discuss collaboration opportunities, and set mutual goals to ensure the chapters’ success and showcase their active participation. 

King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) Visit 

Considered as one of the most active SPE Student Chapters in the region, SPE-KFUPM has been recently achieving remarkable milestones in the chapter’s history, awarded 2022 SPE Presidential Awards and ATCE Paper Contest, SPE-KSA team conducted a visit to College of Petroleum & Geoscience (CPG) to meet with the Chapter members and faculty advisors. The main subjects discussed in the meeting included recent accomplishments, their upcoming participation in regional and international contests and conferences, planned activities such as PetroGame contest, inspired by the International SPE PetroBowl, and upcoming visits to research centers and O&G service providers in the region, in collaboration with SPE-KSA team.

King Faisal University (KFU) Visit

The objective of this visit was to introduce SPE to university students at KFU, and initiate the chapter once again! The presentation highlighted the benefits of joining SPE which includes the large community of students and esteemed professionals across the globe. It also focused on providing an overview of the several SPE-KSA committees, followed by the various programs and initiatives each committee has to offer. Such an elaboration allowed better communication to students enabling the showcase of SPE-KSA continuous efforts with an insight on the organization’s initiatives that give back to the community. There was an attendance of around 100 students from different engineering majors, who kept engaging with the SPE-KSA members and showed interest in being part of the SPE. Following a fruitful session, Student Outreach members met with the Department Head of Engineering, Dr. Abdulrahman AlMithin in which an assurance was given that the University’s support will always be provided for future SPE-KFU events or programs.

King Saud University (KSU) Visit & Knowledge Competition 

As part of SPE-KSA Student Outreach Team’s strategy to expand its presence in the academic field, the team successfully conducted a visit to King Saud University in Riyadh to strengthen the relationship and explore collaborations, the team met with students, faculty members, and chairmen of petroleum engineering and geosciences departments. Additionally, the Student Chapter held a competition under the name of “Test Your Knowledge”. The aim of the competition was to ensure the solid fundamentals of the petroleum engineering students through 150 different questions covering the various subjects in petroleum engineering. A total number of 6 groups registered in the competition and played in the initial stage, through a series of stages 2 teams qualified to the finals. All participants received giveaways for their engagement and participation, with special prizes for the first and second place. SPE-KSA will continue its efforts in supporting the students with different learning opportunities.

Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd University (PMU) Hosts a technical Session by Former SPE President 

SPE-PMU was established a year ago in 2022. Despite that, the chapter’s members have accomplished remarkable efforts since then to expand the chapter and extend the technical knowledge among members. The process that the chapter took for developing and moving gradually toward an advanced level was done through participating in various activities, arranging several field visits, attending technical events, and playing a part in global conferences. With High quality of leadership skills, SPE-PMU team was able to dramatically increase the number of members through SPE events and programs, which were held in and outside the university boundaries. 

On 28 February, SPE-PMU student chapter planned an event that was attended by a large number of students who are interested in the future of energy. This event took place at prince Mohammad bin Fahd University where they successfully hosted a technical session that was led by 2019 SPE president Dr. Sami Alnuaim who discussed the topic of Energy Transition. Besides that, SPE-PMU students participated in many events, such as PMU WINTER festival was an interactive event that was joined by many societies and social clubs that made the event fruitful, where SPE PMU students shared their journey and experience with the university students.

Baker Hughes Visit 

The team conducted a university student visit to Baker Hughes facility in Dhahran, on Thursday, February 9th Out of 200 student applications were received, 32 outstanding students were selected, representing 7 in-kingdom universities with diverse engineering & geosciences backgrounds. The program started with an overview of the company’s history, core business, and possible training and career opportunities, presented by the Regional Managing Director of Baker Hughes. This was followed by a tour to the different laboratories, where the students got to see different technologies, such as the 3D metal printing machine with its designing process, and the drilling fluids lab, where several innovations that are being deployed in the field got presented. The students had the chance to visit the real-time operations center that monitors Saudi Aramco D&WO rigs. During the visit, the participants showed an outstanding engagement with the engineers, had an in-depth experience, and got exposure to the professional work environment.

Formation of new SPE Chapter Board at KAUST ushers in a Promising Era for 2023-2024

The formation of a new board for the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Student Chapter at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) heralds the onset of a vibrant and promising academic year for 2023-2024. Determined to uphold and build upon the esteemed legacy of the previous chapter, which was honored with the KAUST Seeds Award for Best Student Chapter, the new board is set to achieve remarkable milestones.

Comprising a dynamic and diverse assembly of students, the SPE Chapter Board is committed to fostering a thriving community. This will be achieved through multidisciplinary collaborations, engaging technical events, and workshops that aim at professional and technical development in various fields, including the field of petroleum engineering. A highlight of the 2023-2024 agenda is the board’s emphasis on sustainable energy strategies and solutions with integrating discussions and educational activities focusing on Circular Carbon Economy approaches and technologies. 

Under the skillful leadership of President Feras Rowaihy, an Aramco-sponsored Ph.D. student with an impressive track record of experience in leading multidisciplinary teams, the new SPE KAUST Student Chapter Board synergizes innovation, collaboration, technical development, and a sustainability focus. It is poised to make significant strides in enriching both the academic and social landscape of KAUST and beyond.

By Nora AlSudairi – SPE-KSA Student Outreach Coordinator 

SPE-KSA Student Outreach Team held Meet the Experts virtual webinar on January 26th, 2023. The value of this program expands beyond the conventional way of knowledge exchange as it enables a transparent relationship between academia and the professional industry to facilitate and cultivate students’ and young professionals’ growth to successfully transition to the professional world. In addition, the program creates an immersive and interactive experience by connecting students & young professionals to experienced professionals to exchange knowledge and learn more about the professional sector.

The webinar included one technical presentation titled “Petroleum Economics”, delivered by Principal Consultant from O&G Knowledge Sharing, Eng. Mohammed Mian, discussing technical and economic challenges in the industry. It was followed by a soft skills session on “Career Opportunities in the Oil & Gas Industry,” presented by Field Development and Engagement Manager from SLB, Eng. Hassan Alahdal.

Petroleum Economics session discussed the O&G industry challenges, global O&G demand, and reserves assessment. After elaborating on the global challenges in O&G industry, came the value of the second session in the program, Career Opportunities in the O&G Industry. The second session introduced an overview of the O&G industry, career paths overview, pool of majors, engineers & petro-technical progression, and shared profiles examples.

Both sessions witnessed strong participation of students and young professionals, with over 100 registrations from students and young professionals from different universities and oil & gas companies in the kingdom. This exemplifies the enthusiasm and eagerness to learn more about the discussed topic before, during and even after the session. It is the team’s topmost priority to develop and empower our youth and future talents by creating unique experiences, such as Meet the Experts, tailored specifically to connect them with experienced professionals and leaders in the industry and enable them to have a smooth transition between academia and professional career.

SPE-KSA Student Outreach Committee 

Pave you Career Path: Resume Workshop

By Muhannad Alattas, Student Outreach Events & Managements team member

On January 28th, 2023, SPE-KSA’s Student Outreach Committee, have successfully conducted its first “Pave Your Career Path: Resume Workshop” at the Kempinski Hotel in Al Othman towers. 

The event was tailored for university students and fresh graduates to help them jumpstart their careers and smoothen their transition from academia to professional environments. The event included multiple fruitful sessions presented by experienced speakers focusing on resume-building skills, job interview training, and developing a professional online profile to prepare the participants for the job-market requirements.  

Abir Chatila, a management and professional trainer with a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and certifications in coaching and mentoring, was the lead instructor for this event. She shared her experience of more than 25 years with the participants, where professional resume-building skills were focused on. During the session, Abir broke down the resume into five main sectors, allowing the participants to focus on each sector individually while simultaneously creating their resume. This interactive approach encouraged the participants to ask questions and get the most out of the session. Additionally, Doha Alattas an experienced career advisor and professional trainer from Aramco HR played a major role during the session where she led the activities.

Following the resume session, a linked-in profile optimization presentation was shared with the participants. Highlighting the importance of a professional online presence. Moreover, the workshop included a mock interview where participants had the chance to experience the interviewing process in different industries, such as Oil & Gas, Pharmaceutical, Fashion, Food, and Energy sectors. Several participants were selected to be the HR representatives of these companies, and then they performed mock interviews on the rest of the attendees. This activity aimed to familiarize the participants with the type of questions they can be asked during interviews, in addition to preparing them to conduct themselves appropriately. Finally, as part of the SPE-KSA Student Outreach Committee’s giveaways, a professional photographer was brought to take professional pictures of the participants. Where these photos can be used in their resume or linked-in profile. 

Ultimately, as part of the Student Outreach Committee’s eagerness and continuous efforts to develop and shape future generations, this workshop had a holistic approach where all the major items of employment requirements were covered. Providing the participants with a complete package of skills, knowledge and tools for their career journey. 

Youthful Bonds

Young Professionals Take Steps to Spread Their Knowledge and Experience

Dalia Al Maghlouth, SPE-KSA School Outreach Team Member

The School Outreach Team of the Society of Petroleum Engineers – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (SPE-KSA) has been actively engaged in promoting education and awareness about the energy industry among young students. Most recently, they have successfully organized visits to various educational institutions, where they shared knowledge to inspire future generations to pursue careers in the energy sector. 

Alaziziyah Private Schools Visit: Fostering the Talents of Tomorrow 

On Thursday, March 30, 2023, the School Outreach Team members Leyla Almailo, Maram Aljishi, and Moneera Alsharif visited Alaziziyah Private Schools in Khobar. The team’s aim was to educate and inspire over 260 female middle and high school students about the oil journey and its various stages, including exploration, drilling, production, refining, and sales. Similar to the previous visit, the team conducted Energy4me experiments, showcasing practical applications of petroleum engineering concepts. The students exhibited great enthusiasm and active participation, reflecting the promising talents of Saudi Arabia’s next generation. The visit strengthened the connection between the students and the energy sector, providing them with unique learning opportunities and inspiring them to consider careers in the industry. 

The SPE-KSA School Outreach Program continues to make significant strides in promoting awareness and inspiring Saudi Arabia’s youth to pursue careers in the energy sector. Through their visits to educational institutions, they have engaged with students, shared knowledge, and conducted interactive experiments, leaving a lasting impact on young minds. These efforts not only expand engagement between students and the energy sector but also contribute to the development of Saudi Arabia’s future workforce. SPE-KSA remains committed to providing unique learning opportunities and inspiring the youth to contribute to the growth of the energy industry.