"Green Oil" clenches first place at PetroChallenge

Twenty-two students in the IPAA/PESA Petroleum Academy at Southwest High School (IPAS) proudly competed in the esteemed PetroChallenge in Houston, TX on February, 2 2018 with one student capturing first place team wins. The event was sponsored by Schlumberger, Occidental Petroleum Corporation and NeXT. IPAA/PESA’s competition is the only PetroChallenge open to high-school students.

Southwest IPAS student, Esau Luna was on the winning first place team. Their team name was “Green Oil” and they won $400.

The Petroleum Academy at Southwest High School and four Houston-based petroleum academies were divided into teams of four. Each team created an oil and gas exploration company with a fantasy budget of $200,000,000. Team goals were to create the most value for their company while learning roles associated with geology, engineering, and the business segment of the industry. The teams studied seismic surveys and environmental maps to determine the best place to find hydrocarbons. They formed partnerships with other teams, chose rigs and selected subcontractors to drill - all while considering corporate social responsibility in their quest to maximize profits.

Hats off to Esau Luna and to all of these students for enthusiastically competing!