SPE President Shauna Noonan and SPE Regional Director Aizhana Jussupbekova visited Gubkin University
On 24 October 2019, the President of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Shauna Noonan and the Regional Director (Russia and Caspian) of SPE Aizhana Jussupbekova visited Gubkin University.
The visitors met with the Rector of Gubkin University Viktor Martynov and the Advisor to Rector Anatoly Zolotukhin.
During the meeting, the participants discussed the issues of academic training offered by oil and gas universities around the world in view of the ongoing transformation of the energy industry. SPE President Shauna Noonan emphasized the importance of training highly qualified industry specialists and creating a positive image of the industry. In this context, she noted the significant role of Gubkin University, which offers training to students from 83 regions of Russia and 70 countries around the world as well as cooperates actively with the leading academic institutions on the global level.
The Rector of Gubkin University Viktor Martynov put forward an initiative to establish a new ranking of universities that specialize in oil and gas and energy only. This ranking would contribute to effective monitoring of the quality of training of oil and gas industry engineers around the world, as well as developing training programs in leading oil and gas and energy universities. Shona Noonan supported the initiative, and expressed interest in promoting it on behalf of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
As part of the meeting, the participants visited the Offshore Drilling Center and the Center for Field Development Control of Gubkin University. The virtual learning environment provides students with an opportunity to interact and solve assigned tasks in a team. The modern equipment of both centers enables to train specialists who are capable to operate in the most difficult production conditions. The visitors noted the high technical level of the centers and the importance of such practical experience gained by future specialists of the oil and gas industry.
Within the visit, SPE President Shauna Noonan also met with activists from Gubkin University SPE Student Chapter who made a presentation about their activities, ongoing projects and the results achieved. Special attention was paid to the 11th International Youth Scientific and Practical Congress: Oil and Gas Horizons to be held in November 2019 at Gubkin University.
