The Texas A&M IADC Student Chapter was invited to visit an Independence Contract Drilling (ICD) rig in Giddings, Texas in mid-August. 30 students from Texas A&M and Ole Miss, along with 3 professors from the Texas A&M Mays School of Business attended the visit. Participating students are majoring in Business, Finance, Petroleum Engineering and Agriculture Science. The students were treated to a tour of the rig, currently working for IronRoc Energy Partners, by ICD Senior Management, along with a lunch graciously cooked by Cameron.

In early May, petroleum engineering students at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette completed the IADC WellSharp certification course with a 100% passing rate with no retakes.

On 25 April, more than 70 people attended the IADC Rocky Mountain Chapter in Casper, with 13 students from the IADC Student Chapter at the University of Wyoming also in attendance. The group received updates from both the Rocky Mountain Chapter, the student chapter, AESC and a presentation on rig automation from Justin Allen with NOV. The following day, the University of Wyoming student chapter members were invited to tour two facilities in Wyoming, the NOV Rig Repair facility and Tuboscope.

Students of the recently established IADC Student Chapter at the University of Wyoming were recently invited to tour Patterson-UTI Rig 901 working east of Fort Collins, Colorado.

IADC Rocky Mountain Chapter Chairman Lannie Fladeland with Patterson-UTI coordinated the rig tour through the Student Chapter officers and Dr. Brian Toelle with the University’s Petroleum Engineering Department.

13 students representing 4 IADC Student Chapters were invited to attend the IADC Annual General Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana from 8-9 November. Students in attendance represented chapters at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Texas A&M University and the University of Wyoming.

On 11 October Texas A&M Student Chapter members were invited to tour Latshaw Rig 15 outside of Bryan, Texas. The students were able to observe a working drilling operations and discuss well construction with the Operator Representatives and Latshaw Supervisors and crew. It also provided an opportunity to understand the connection between academic applications and field drilling operations and the students were able to learn more about career opportunities and life after graduation.

On 26 October, 38 students from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette IADC student chapter toured the Sperry Drilling (Halliburton) facility in Broussard, Louisiana. The group was treated to a four-house comprehensive tour of the facility, which helped close the gap between theory and practical applications in the drilling business.

In April, students with the IADC Student Chapter at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette were invited to attend a facility tour at Weatherford’s technical research facility. The students were able to view MPD systems and risers among other technical equipment during the tour, which was organized by Neal Richard, North America Technical Manager at Weatherford.
Five students from the ULL Student Chapter were also invited to attend the 2018 SPE/ IADC Managed Pressure Drilling & Underbalanced Operations Conference on 17 and 18 April in New Orleans.

On 23 March, 29 petroleum engineering students with the IADC Student Chapter at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette were invited on a facility tour of Expro. The three-hour tour at the North and Central America operation center gave the students an opportunity to see and touch wellbore intervention and flowback operations equipment, along with a variety of other items.

In April, IADC’s Mark Denkowski, Rhett Winter and Bob Warren were invited to visit with members of the University of Wyoming’s Petroleum Engineering Department to discuss collaboration with IADC and the possibility of a future IADC student chapter at the University. The group was also able to view the Department’s simulator and virtual reality theatre which focuses on drilling.

Students from the IADC Student Chapter at Missouri S&T were invited to visit and experience the 2018 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference, 6-8 March in Fort Worth, Texas. Back row from left are Mike DuBose, Tyler Charles, Grand August, Dalton Buchanan and MS&T Professor Rickey Hendrix. Front row from left are Vishwaksen Reddy, Tessa Mortensen, Katie Miller and Megan Lopez. Mr DuBose is IADC VP of International Development and serves as staff liaison for IADC’s student chapters.