Curtin students part of big winners at IPTC Education Week in Kuala Lumpur

Miri – 16 January 2015 – Students from Curtin University’s main campus in Perth, Australia and its branch campus in Miri, Sarawak were part of two teams that walked away with the main and first runner-up prizes at the Education Week organised in conjunction with the 8th International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC) in Kuala Lumpur recently.

Third-year petroleum engineering students Leong Van Hong of Curtin Sarawak and Caitlin Sweeting of Curtin Perth formed a group with other university students from Malaysia, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, India, the Philippines, Indonesia and Nigeria to present a topic on ‘Deepwater’ where they were required to provide a Field Development Plan for a liquid rich gas field.

Under the mentorship of petrophysicist Keith Boyle of Chevron Australia Pty. Ltd., the group successfully walked away with the main prize.

Meanwhile, the first runner-up prize was won by a group consisting third-year petroleum engineering student Ian Chang Huan Sheng of Curtin Sarawak, fourth-year petroleum engineering student Steven Hicks of Curtin Bentley and other student representatives from Canada, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria.

The group presented their project entitled ‘Enhanced Oil Recovery’ where they were required to manage production from an offshore oil platform in a mature stage of development. Chief Executive Officer of PetroMalaysia Sdn. Bhd. D.M. Anwar Raja Ibrahim was the group’s mentor.

The IPTC event aims to further the advancement of scientific and technological knowledge related to the exploration, development, production, transportation and processing of oil and natural gas. The conference was hosted by PETRONAS and co-hosted by Shell and Schlumberger.

This year’s event with the theme ‘Innovation and Collaboration: Keys to Affordable Energy’, featured a ministerial session, high-level plenary and panel sessions, a comprehensive multidisciplinary technical programme, exhibition and young professionals workshop.

As part of the conference, the Education Week served to provide the brightest third and fourth-year undergraduate students in science, geoscience and engineering from international institutions a clear insight into the oil and gas industry, to work together on a joint technical project, and to provide opportunities for students to build friendships and network with a number of major industry players.

A total of 388 student nominations were received from 127 institutions in 42 countries. Only 97 students from 61 universities representing 30 countries were selected to participate in this year’s Education Week.

The IPTC is an annual event rotating between Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Doha, Qatar will host the next event scheduled to be held from 6 to 9 December 2015.

(L-R) Leong, Chang, Curtin University’s petroleum engineering lecturer Dr. Moffazal Hossain, Hicks and Sweeting posing with the awards received at the ceremony.

Q & A session with judges from the industry during one of the project presentations. 

Group winner comprising students from nine universities from across the globe.