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Executive ColumnBy Archie Dunham

“ A School for Leaders”by new PGE directorKeith K. Millheim

Dr. W. Arthur PorterRe-engineers College ofEngineering

Guest Column by JohnCampbell

SPE Technology Summitin Norman

New Faculty and Staff

Spring/Summer 1999 Vol. 1 Number 1 The University of Oklahoma

School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering

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Archie W. Dunham, President and CEO of Conoco.

Discoveryn OU Discovery’s

first Executive

Column, industry

giant and OU

alumnus Archie Dunham

describes graduates who

will make a difference.

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Table of Contents1 Editor’s Letter

2 Executive Column: Petroleum Companies and theQuest for Graduates Who Make a Difference

5 A School for Leaders: A message from the newdirector of PGE

7 Dean W. Arthur Porter: Re-engineering OU’s Collegeof Engineering

9 Guest Column: John Campbell

10 SPE Technology Summit Draws Industry Leaders toCampus

12 Well Construction Technology Center: New NameReflects Expanded Capabilities

13 ABET Accreditation Visit Scheduled for Fall

13 Reservoir Engineering Excellence Team

14 Scholarships, Internships: Investments with BigDividends

17 New Department Staff

18 A Note from Roy Knapp

Vol. 1 Number 1The Universityof Oklahoma

School of Petroleum and Geological EngineeringDiscoveryIssued byThe University of OklahomaSchool of Petroleum andGeological Engineering100 East Boyd, Room T-301Sarkeys Energy CenterNorman, Oklahoma 73019-0628

Editor: Lisa L. SchmidtArt Direction: Acme Design WorksPrinter: The Transcript Press

Special thanks to the contributingwriters and to Jerri Culpepper,Anuj Gupta, Neil Heeney, MaxMefford, Bob Rice, Subhash Shah,David Solberg, Donna Spain,Djebbar Tiab and Michael Wiggins.

This publication was issued by theUniversity of Oklahoma andauthorized by Keith Millheim,director of the School of Petroleumand Geological Engineering.4,500 copies have been prepared atno cost to the taxpayers of theState of Oklahoma.

OU Discovery

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f you are reading thisintroduction, you are a partof OU Petroleum andGeological Engineeringhistory. You have the first issue

of the first volume of OU Discovery,the University of Oklahoma Schoolof Petroleum and Geological Engin-eering’s new magazine for friends,alumni, students and futurestudents. Thank you for being apart of our inaugural issue.

On almost every page of thisfirst issue, you are either beingintroduced to new people who areimportant to PGE at OU, or we aretelling you about a new initiative orfocus. This is an exciting time, onethat called for a new publication tokeep you informed and involved.That is the primary purpose of OUDiscovery, to keep you informed andinvolved in PGE at OU.

Keeping you informed will berelatively easy. In future issues, youwill read about changes in thecurriculum being made in directresponse to industry needs; innova-tive scholarship and leadership pro-grams that will enhance our abilityto attract top prospective engineers;the increasing importance of grad-uate education to the petroleum andnatural gas industry, and other itemsthat will be of interest to individualswho are committed to the energyindustry.

Keeping you involved will be themore interesting part. Here aresome ways you can help:

■ Send us your alumni news. Whetherit’s personal or professional, we invite

you to keep your colleagues and class-mates informed. Photos and e-mail arewelcome.

■ Introduce us to a prospective stu-dent. Our best leads come from friendsand family members. Use the ProspectReply Card to put us in touch withtomorrow’s petroleum engineers.

■ Be an author. Write a letter to theeditor or contribute an article. Readersare invited to comment on industryissues, educational concerns, employ-ment advice - any topic that might be ofinterest to other OU Discoveryreaders.

Change is clearly the theme ofthis first issue, but some things willremain the same. Like the oldSooner Pipeline, OU Discovery will beproduced twice a year. Some of thefeatures you see in this issue, likeour wonderful first ExecutiveColumn, authored by Archie Dun-ham, will be a regular feature with adifferent contributor each time. Ourguest column, contributed this timeby Dr. John Campbell, will be anopen forum. We will always bebragging about our students. And,hopefully, the pride that each oneof us takes in our association withPetroleum and Geological Engineer-ing at the University of Oklahomawill come through loud and clearin each and every issue of OUDiscovery.

Please stay in touch, and we willdo the same.

Lisa L. SchmidtEditor

Editor ’s Letter

OU DiscoverySchool of Petroleum and Geological Engineering

1998-99PetroleumandGeologicalEngineering

Industry AdvisoryBoard

Steve Richards, Chair

Ronny G. Altman

W. Clyde Barton, Jr.

John M. Campbell

Sam Cerny

Dwight Dauben

Mike Drennen

Richard Goddard

G. Carl Hale

W. Carey Hardy

S. Kim Hatfield

Barry Irani

Ronnie Irani

Graydon H. Laughbaum, Jr.

Joe Lawnick

Jo Ann Meyer

Allan Neustadt

Michael A. Osborne

Bill Z. Parker

Pamela Pierce

Douglas W. Robertson

Arlie Skov

Walter J. Sleeper, Jr.

Mark Smith

Bruce Stover

Robert L. Tiner

Bob Waller

C. Arliss Watts

Paul D. Witt

IPetroleum Companies and the Questfor Graduates Who Make a Difference

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t’s an honor to be featured on the cover ofthis exciting new magazine.

Of all the things that brighten my life, feware more important to me than my home stateof Oklahoma and the rich fabric of relation-ships that bind me to family and friends there.

I plan to maintain those precious ties untilmy last breath. Among a lifetime of Oklahoma

memories, some of the most vivid were created at OU’sSchool of Petroleum and Geological Engineering.

B.S. School of Petroleumand Geological Engineering,The University of Oklahoma

During the months and years tocome, OU Discovery will be anexcellent biannual reminder of themarvelous education we received,and the benefits we still receive, asgraduates of this outstanding school.

As I write these lines in earlyMarch, PGE alumni who chose acareer in the petroleum businesscome to work each day and are con-fronted by the nagging question:“When are crude prices going torecover?”

It’s been that way now for almosta year, thanks to one of the mostsevere downturns in industryhistory. The value of a barrel ofcrude oil slipped into freefall lastsummer when it became obviousthat the demand falloff in Asia wasreal. Today, the value of West TexasIntermediate is about half of whatit was just two years ago. On aninflation-adjusted basis, crude pricesare at the lowest levels we’ve seenin a quarter century.

The impairment to industryearnings has been severe. Today,companies are proceeding carefullyand cautiously — delaying discre-tionary investment and reducingcosts in any way possible. A newwave of mega-mergers in theindustry adds to the inclination ofcompanies to reduce costs by cuttingback on employment while alsoslowing down, or stopping in somecases, the recruitment of newgraduates.

How long will this last? In myview, energy prices are likely toremain soft for a while, at leastthrough 1999. Much will depend onwhat OPEC does during the next 90days to further restrain production.But even in the absence of an earlyOPEC agreement, I believe crudeprices will improve, sooner ratherthan later. Asia is already recover-ing, so demand for crude andrefined products should strengthenduring the second half of this year.Supply will also tighten, as recentcuts in drilling and investment bycash-strapped companies begin toeat into production growth. Eventu-ally supply-demand will tighten tothe point that prices trend upward.

The petroleum industry will re-bound and once again be an aggres-sive recruiter of new talent, espe-cially at superior institutions likeOU’s School of Petroleum andGeological Engineering.

What kind of graduates willcompanies like mine be looking for?First, we will look for someone

By Archie W. Dunham,President and C.E.O.

Conoco, Inc.

ExecutiveColumn


who’s trained in a technical disci-pline — whether it’s petroleum orchemical engineering, financesystems technology, or mathematics.Naturally, the new employee willlearn a great deal as he or she gainsexperience on the job, but Conocois not in the business of providing“graduate education” to new hires.Companies that depend on sophisti-cated technologies, work processesand communications systems astheir lifeblood require new employ-ees who can contribute from dayone.

But being well prepared for theworld of work requires more thanjust technical training, no matterhow good the training. Increasingly,employers look for other qualities inthe people they choose.

One is vision. The traditional,tried-and-true ways of doing thingsno longer cut it in companies withambitious growth plans. Growthcompanies need visionary thinkers— “entrepreneurs” — throughouttheir whole organization, at alllevels. Entrepreneurs are peoplewho are forward-looking, motivatedand creative, people for whomachieving or exceeding existinggoals is not enough. Entrepreneursseek to con-tinuously raise thestandards of achievement by ex-panding the per-formance envelopenot just by a little, but by an order ofmagnitude. Cyberstars like Bill

ArchieDunham

continued on page 4

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Gates and Michael Dell provide themost visible examples; they’vecreated totally new ways of doingthings . . . totally new products . . .and, indeed, totally new industries.

Another desirable quality of new-comers to an organization is flexibil-ity in putting knowledge to work —one’s own knowledge and that ofothers. In today’s competitive en-vironment, “knowledge” does nothave to be exclusively owned by acompany in order to create value.Successful companies are skilled andpracticed at gaining access to theintellectual assets of others —through alliances, partnerships andjoint ventures. True “learningorganizations” that are good at thismust be staffed by flexible, open-minded people who possess the re-sponsiveness and customer orienta-tion to excel at partnering withothers.

“Talent, like electricity,must be switched onfor it to make acontribution.”New graduates need to be flexible

and adaptable for another reason.Specialized knowledge has a short-term value in a world where dataand information can be zappedalmost anywhere with the click of amouse. To stay ahead of competi-tors, companies must capitalizequickly on what they know. So theyneed employees who can adapt

quickly to new technologies, whocan switch flexibly from task to task,and who can be energized to usetheir talent on behalf of the com-pany. Talent, like electricity, must beswitched on for it to make a contri-bution.

Finally, companies in the futureare going to want people who havea healthy sense of proportion aboutjob and career . . . and dimensions oftheir lives. As the leader of a com-pany with ambitious goals, I wantall of our employees to believe inwhat they’re doing when they cometo work each day. I want them to befully committed to the company’sgoals and willing to go the extramile to help achieve them.

But at the same time, I wantConoco’s employees to have a richand rewarding life away from theoffice, refinery or drilling rig. Eachof us should leave room for reflec-

tion, friendships, a satisfying familylife and a fulfilling spiritual life.These are the pursuits that givemeaning and depth to our day-to-day existence; they represent thebetter part, I believe, of why we’vebeen put on this planet. All new

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rchie W. Dunham ispresident and chiefexecutive officer ofConoco Inc. and anexecutive vice presi-dent of E.I. du Pont de

Nemours and Company, Conoco’sparent.

Dunham joined Conoco in 1966as an associate engineer in Hous-ton. For seven years he workedin various positions within thenatural gas and gas products de-partment and the corporate newproject development group. In1973, he became manager of thegas products division, followed byan appointment to HarvardUniversity ’s Management Devel-opment Program.

He was elected executive vicepresident of Douglas Oil Company,a Conoco subsidiary in California,in 1976 and became president ofthe subsidiary in 1979. He re-turned to Houston in 1981 as vicepresident of logistics and down-stream planning. In 1983, he wasnamed vice president of transpor-tation, natural gas and gas prod-ucts. After participating in Stan-ford University’s Senior ExecutiveManagement Program, he becameexecutive vice president of petro-leum products, North America, in1985 and was elected to the Conocoboard of directors.

In 1987, Dunham became seniorvice president of DuPont’s chemi-cals and pigments sector at DuPontheadquarters in Wilmington,Delaware. He assumed the sameposition for polymer products in1989.

Dunham returned to Houston in1992 as Conoco’s executive vicepresident, exploration production.He held that position until becom-ing president and CEO in January1996.

Dunham is active in severalprofessional business and advisory

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DunhamDunhamDunhamDunhamDunham, continued from page 3

organizations. On the nationallevel, he is chairman of the UnitedStates Energy Association andserves on the boards of directors ofthe American Petroleum Instituteand the Energy Institute of theAmericas as well as the NationalBoard of the Smithsonian Institu-tion and the board of trustees ofthe George Bush PresidentialLibrary Foundation. He is on theexecutive committee and the boardof directors of the U.S.-RussiaBusiness Council. Dunham is also amember of the National PetroleumCouncil, a key advisory body to theSecretary of Energy.

Locally, he is a member of theexecutive committee and board ofdirectors of the Greater Houstonpartnership, the board of gover-nors of The Houston Forum andthe board of directors for MemorialHermann Healthcare System.Dunham also serves on the boardsof trustees of Houston GrandOpera, the Houston Symphony,and the United Way of the TexasGulf Coast. He led Conoco’s 1996,1997, and 1998 corporate UnitedWay campaigns, which each raisedmore than $1 million. Dunhamand his wife, Linda, are activemembers of the Second BaptistChurch of Houston.

Born in Ada, Oklahoma, in 1938,Dunham holds a bachelor ’s degreein geological engineering and amaster ’s degree in business admin-istration from the University ofOklahoma. He has been honoredby both the College of BusinessAdministration and the College ofEngineering as a distinguishedgraduate. In 1994, he was recog-nized by the OU Board of Regentsfor his dedicated service anddemonstrated leadership to theUniversity of Oklahoma. Dunhamwas inducted into the OklahomaHall of Fame in 1998.

The Dunhams have threechildren and seven grandchildren.

■ School and Student workingtogether to ensure that the newgraduate will have the knowledgeand skills he or she needs to compete.

■ Industry and School workingtogether in a way that the institutionunderstands what companies arelooking for in employees and, inreturn, that companies support theschool’s program

■ Student and Industry workingtogether to ensure that new graduates are given the opportunity, andthe responsibility, to succeed inchallenging assignments on thejob . . . and that, in fact, they succeed.

graduates, those from OU or fromany other school, need to concen-trate just as much on developingrelationships with their family andfriends, on reflection, and on theirspiritual growth . . . as they do ontheir professional lives.

How do you foster developmentof a well-rounded, high-productiv-ity graduate (and new employee)?The starting point must, of course,be a high-quality student — anintelligent, highly motivated, goal-oriented young individual, just thekind of person who is drawn to PGE.Then, a series of partnerships mustcome into play to complete theeducation process:

OU Discovery will strengthenthese important partnerships. I’mdelighted to be associated with itsinaugural issue, and I look forwardto reading many more issues in theyears to come.


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“A School for Leaders”

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Director,Petroleum and Geological

Engineering,The University of Oklahoma

By Keith Millheim

n the latest issue ofStrategy & Business, aquarterly published byBooz Allen Hamilton, JohnQuelich, former dean ofthe London School of

Business, wrote: “The scarcity ofqualified managers has become amajor constraint on the speed withwhich multi-national companies canexpand their international sales.”Other similar commentaries parrotthe same concern — a lack ofleadership for the future.

If you study the genesis of petro-leum engineering, you will discoverthat, starting in the mid-1950s, theUniversity of Oklahoma led the wayin developing so many of the giantsin the oil business. Archie Dunham,author of our first Executive Col-umn; John Campbell, anotherpioneer and OU Discovery contribu-tor; and 1998-99 SPE PresidentGustavo Inciarte are all Petroleumand Geological Engineering gradu-ates and leaders.

Sports teams have their dynastyyears. So do businesses, universitiesand schools. The U.S.News and WorldReport’s 1998 Best Graduate Schoolsranked OU’s School of PetroleumEngineering as tied with StanfordUniversity for third place. TexasA&M was ranked first and theUniversity of Texas, second. Onecould argue that the rankings aresubjective, or that the resourcesavailable to the Texas schools are toogreat to compete against. As thenew director, I respect both Texasschools for their accomplishments,as well as the tradition that Stanfordhas in Reservoir Engineering.

KeithMillheim

continued on page 6

However, numbers of graduatesdon’t make the school, nor does themoney to which it has access. Pro-duction of future leaders, the tradi-tion of leadership in research, inno-vative technology development andapplication, and committed facultyand students make the mark of theschool.

Students go to certain universitiesand academies like Harvard, MIT,Stanford, Annapolis and West Pointbecause they want to be the best ofthe best, the future leaders.

As director, I have a vision for theSchool of Petroleum and GeologicalEngineering: To be a school forleaders. This includes all aspects ofleadership for students, faculty,research staff and our alumni.

Industries go through variousphases as they mature. Like theaerospace, automotive, mining andother industries, the oil and gasindustry went from the technologi-cal pioneering days between the1950s through the 1970s, to thetechnological development boomdays of the 1970s through the mid-1980s. From the mid-80’s until now,a new maturity has occurred. We’veshifted into a “business driven

industry” where application oftechnology is the priority.

One could speculate that each eracaused the production of a certaintype of Petroleum Engineeringgraduate. As we enter the newmillennium, there is no doubt weare challenged by another era forthe petroleum student and gradu-ate, and the role of the school withindustry. This is certainly reflectedin the new accreditation standardsreferred to as ABET 2000.

This year, the College of Engi-neering and the School of Petroleumand Geological Engineering will beup for ABET 2000 accreditation. Buteven more importantly the school,in partnership with industry via ourAdvisory Board, will define the newneeds of industry for undergraduatestudents. We will change, alter, addand drop courses to meet these newneeds for our dynamic industry.

To achieve real excellence inleadership, and to be industryleaders, requires hard work, com-mitment and, most importantly, thewill to change. Already, facultyteams are developing new direc-tions for our reservoir engineeringprogram, and the start of our newWell Construction Technology

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MillheimMillheimMillheimMillheimMillheim, continued from page 5

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Center (previouslycalled FFCF). A thirdteam is piloting ourschool through thenew territory of ABET2000.New initiatives in

conjunction with theSarkeys EnergyCenter in the areas ofreservoir, rock physicsand natural gasengineering, havebeen started. Weenvision a partner-ship with Sarkeys thatwill build our re-search capacity, andwe are pursuingopportunities tocreate a master ’sdegree in Natural GasEngineering andManagement with the

eith K. Millheim

Eberly Family Chairand Director, Petroleum

and Geological Engineering,University of Oklahoma

Ph.D., Mining Engineering,University of Leoben, Austria

M.Sc., Petroleum Engineering,University of Oklahoma

B.Sc., Petroleum Science,Marietta College

Only current member of OUEngineering faculty in the NationalAcademy of Engineering.

“As director, Ihave a vision forthe School ofPGE: To be aschool forleaders.”

School of Chemical Engineering andMaterials Science and the Institutefor Gas Utilization Technologies.There are other initiatives in thepipeline that will be reported asthey progress.

This is not a shotgun approach,but a business strategy and plan.We are building on our strengths,traditions and industry network.

Aligning with the overall strategicgoals of the College of Engineering,the School of Petroleum and Geo-logical Engineering plans to be aleader in making it work. Barrierswill come down. Old excuses andhistory will not deter us. Only byexample will we show the students,alumni and industry that the Uni-versity of Oklahoma School ofPetroleum and Geological Engineer-ing is once again a “school of leadersfor leaders.”

As the line from Frank Herbert’sclassic, Dune, says, “The Sleeper hasawakened.”

Co-authored Applied DrillingEngineering, published in 1986 andstill considered the principal drillingtextbook in use today.

Most recent publication: “VirtualExperience Simulation for Drilling -The Concept,” Annual SPE/IADCDrilling Conference, Amsterdam,Holland (with T. Gabler).

Holds five patents.Internationally known consultant

in strategic planning.Research consultant, Amoco

Production Research, Tulsa, 1991-1994

Board of Directors, Rig DesignServices LTD and RDS-NaftagasLTD, 1995-1997

Director, University of Leoben,Austria, Department of Drilling,Petroleum Production andEconomics, 1994-1998

Current JPT Special ColumnistSPE Distinguished Lecturer

EmeritusReceived first SPE Drilling

Engineering AwardDistinguished SPE MemberProfessional experience includes

work in Australia, Canada, theMiddle East, United Kingdom,North Sea, Norwegian North Sea,Netherlands, South America, andthroughout the United States.


UDr. W. Arthur “Skip” Porter:Re-engineering OU’s College of Engineering

“I have challenged everyone herein the College of Engineering, fromthe faculty to the students, to

Dean“Skip”Porter

continued on page 8

He’s been on campusjust 10 months andalready you can see,hear, sense and feel hisvision becomingreality.

rethink their education...its de-livery...its content...its usefulness intoday’s global marketplace,” he said.

Porter ’s challenge is being met.Today’s CoE students are beingtaught not only the technical knowl-edge they will need to succeed inthe workplace, but also the analyti-cal and the practical skills they willneed to be competitive in the future.

“Our graduates not only need tobe able to get jobs once they leaveour campus, they need to be able tocreate jobs as well if we are going totake control of this state’s economicdestiny,” explains Porter.

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niversity ofOklahomaCollege of Engi-neering DeanW. Arthur “Skip”Porter has avision. It starts in

the classrooms and labs at OU. Itcrosses time. It crosses cultures. Itcrosses curriculum. It embraces thisstate’s economic destiny. It encom-passes the world. And it all startswith this precept... “The differencebetween creating jobs and creatingwealth is knowledge. We mustunderstand that knowledge is thenew coin of the realm. To gain acompetitive advantage in a changingglobal economy, we must learn howto leverage this community’s intel-lectual resources,” said Porter.

It’s a bold statement. It’s a boldvision. And in a bold move Dr. Porterhas accepted the challenge of lead-ing the University of OklahomaCollege of Engineering into the nextmillennium and the leveraging ofintellectual assets has begun. He’sbeen on campus just 10 months andalready you can see, hear, sense andfeel his vision becoming reality.Significant progress has been madein all facets of the College of Engi-neering. The most meaningfuladvancement being in changingattitudes, perceptions and thoughtpatterns.

PPPPPorterorterorterorterorter, continued from page 7


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From the moment W.Arthur “Skip” Portercrossed the Red Rivernorth into Oklahoma,things just haven’t been

the same...for Oklahoma or forhim. He has hit the red dirt run-ning and change for the better hasbeen as constant as the Oklahomawind. Since July of 1998, Porter hasbeen the visionary presence forthe University of Oklahoma Officeof Technology Development, theagent of change for the OU Col-lege of Engineering and theadvocate of intellectual prosperityfor the State of Oklahoma.

Under Porter ’s leadership, theOffice of Technology Developmentat OU has helped six new busi-nesses get up and running. Plansare under way for a technologyresearch park, and an incubatorfor fledgling entrepreneurs willsoon open its doors. Porter ’s visionhasn’t stopped there. He hasadded the fourth component oftechnology transfer to the tradi-tional university paradigm ofteaching, research and service. Heintends to produce graduates whonot only get jobs, but are the bravethinkers of tomorrow who createnew jobs. At Porter ’s impetus, theOU College of Engineering israising academic standards withthe intention of recruiting the bestand the brightest faculty andstudents to the Sooner campus.

As Secretary for Science andTechnology Development for theState of Oklahoma, Porter has led

Directors and faculty throughoutthe CoE are finding innovative waysto incorporate entrepreneurialexperiences into their traditionalcourse work. This means moregroup projects, where the process isas edifying as the outcome. Thismeans teaching the value of tech-nology transfer. This means expos-ing students to collaborationsbetween OU, industry and govern-ment. This means educating ourstudents on managing not onlytalent and technology, but market-ing, management and financialissues. For example, Porter teamedup this spring with Rick Cosier, deanof the Price School of Business, andSteve Gillon, dean of the HonorsCollege, in an unprecedented moveto teach an undergraduate Honorscourse that challenges students withthe mission of turning Oklahomainto a “Silicon Valley.” The thoughtprovoking new course is titled “TheRole of Technology in the Wealth ofNations.”

“I wanted to get energy flowingand conversations started,” saidPorter, “not just on campus, but inthe community, over the Internetand out among other intelligentsia.”

Porter is morphing other areas ofthe CoE as well. New faculty evalua-tion and benchmarking standardsare now in place that compare OUCollege of Engineering facultyagainst national standards of the top25 public engineering colleges. Inaddition, CoE promotion and tenurestandards are being re-evaluated toreflect the importance of Porter ’sfourth component of technologytransfer being added to the tradi-tional university paradigm ofteaching, research and service.

“This process of change is asdifficult as it is rewarding, but it hasto be done to ensure our graduatesbecome the brave new leaders andthinkers needed to guide Oklahomaand the world through the nextcentury,” said Porter.

In addition to serving as the OUdean of Engineering, Porter servesas the University Vice President forTechnology Development and is theSecretary of Science and TechnologyDevelopment for the State ofOklahoma.

the charge to make Oklahoma aleader in the global marketplace byfacilitating a dialog betweenfaculty researchers, business gurusand government leaders to dimin-ish the barriers that preclude newtechnology from getting to themarketplace.

Prior to his coming to Okla-homa, Porter was president andCEO of the Houston AdvancedResearch Center (HARC), a non-profit, university-linked researchinstitution with major researchinterests in energy, the environ-ment and policy studies. Under hisleadership, HARC raised morethan $135 million in researchprojects and grants, and currentlyattracts more than $13 million inindustry and government supportfor its research.

For more than two decades,Porter has been recognized as aninternational authority on technol-ogy commercialization and themanagement of collaborative pro-jects. His insight into this highlyspecialized area is regularly soughtby government, industry andacademic organizations here andabroad.

Porter is the recipient of numer-ous awards and honors, includingNASA¹s Certificate of ResearchRecognition, which he has re-ceived twice. In addition he is the1996 recipient of the AmericanSociety for Engineering Manage-ment’s Technology Leadership

continued on page 19


T try. Oil and gas are now merelycommodities. It is subject to globaland political constraints over whichthe industry has little control. It iseasy to assemble a list of ills that canbring tears to our eyes. But, I findmuch to be optimistic about. (Letme hasten to add that I believe thisis rational and not due to the onsetof senility.)

What does all of this mean to theCollege of Engineering and PGE atOU? First of all, the problemsamong industries differ in severityand scope, but all are facing drasticchanges. Some of the problems areunique to petroleum, but many arenot. But, for our purposes we needto concentrate on PGE. If the facultyand administration truly listen tothe industry and supply the type ofgraduates needed, and if theysupply the type of distance learningneeded to continually upgrade theprofessional staff, and if they pro-vide needed research support, halfof its problem has been solved. Thisis an internal university responsibil-ity subject to the advice and supportof its clients.

What is the other half? It ishaving a satisfactory quality andquantity of students to meet boththe industry needs and maintain thecritical mass of students needed toremain and prosper as a separateschool in the college. In the past30 years or so, PGE has gone frombeing a “star” in the College ofEngineering to a “bit player” as itsenrollment has continued to declinein comparison with other schools.Much like a production declinecurve, at some point in the decline,

abandonment results. It appearsthat the industry will continue tohire at least 30-35 PGE graduatesper year regardless of its short-termproblems. This results in a totalundergraduate enrollment thatsatisfies both industry and theinternal requirements at OU tomaintain a viable program. How dothey recruit a sufficient number ofquality students? With scholarshipsupport!

I have looked at the funds nowavailable and estimate that theymust be increased about $100,000per year in order to meet bothquality and quantity needs. Wherewill they come from? Some willcome from a few who are willing toshare their good fortune by estab-lishing scholarship endowmentfunds. Some will come from com-pany grants as enlightened ownersand managers realize that suchcommitments are a whale of aninvestment. The reset will comefrom individuals or groups who canpledge to support a deservingstudent for four years by an annualinvestment of $2,500 to $3,000.

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JohnCampbell

Viewpoint

continued on page10

hese are the bestof times; these arethe worst of times;these are challeng-ing times. From my point of

view, these arethebest of times in the sense that theCollege of Engineering and PGE arein the process of developing andimplementing strategic plans to re-engineer themselves — to serve theneeds of the marketplace in theforthcoming century. These are theworst of times for those striving tosurvive in the short term andretaining a base for future prosper-ity. These are challenging times forall as we wrestle with the problemsand barriers that must be addressedto achieve desired goals. People aresearching for desirable solutions andthen trying to ascertain which ofthese are doable.

One of the advantages of beingold is that you have survived a lot ofups and downs. Every time yousurvive a down and enjoy an up, theprocess gets a bit easier. At thispoint, I am happy to have grown upin the only depression of thiscentury. It prepared me for therollercoaster ride that we call life. Imention this as a prelude to the ideathat adversity creates opportunity ifone chooses to embrace it. We mustaccept the fact that adversity isusually nothing more than a situa-tion which arises that cannot beaddressed using conventionalwisdom and old familiar practices.

The petroleum industry of myyouth is not the petroleum industryof today. It is now a mature indus-

Of Ole Dr. John


1010101010

ecision-makers andindustry leaders fromacross the countryand around theworld will be oncampus April 29 and

30 for what is being called one of themost important energy-relatedevents of 1999. The SPE TechnologyRoundtable will be hosted by theUniversity of Oklahoma and SarkeysEnergy Center. Keith Millheim,director of OU’s School of Petroleumand Geological Engineering, willserve as roundtable facilitator.

Chief technology officers frommega-majors, existing majors,independents, service companies,government, and universities willtake part in discussions on technol-ogy and utilization for the emergingoil and gas industry. This is only the

SPE Technology Summit DrawsIndustry Leaders to Campus

third time that SPE has sponsoredsuch a gathering. The first SPERoundtable on Research and Tech-nology was held in Cambridge, U.K.,in 1993. The second was in Caracas,Venezuela, in 1994. Oil prices werearound $15-$18 a barrel (U.S.dollars) at that time. “Now withprices closer to $10 to $12 U.S.dollars per barrel, the one certainfact is that the industry will bedifferent. The unknown is howdifferent,” observes GustavoInciarte, 1999 SPE president andUniversity of Oklahoma alumnus.

“What will be the role of researchand technology? What will the“new” industry look like? Who willbe the researchers, the technologydevelopers, and providers?” askedInciarte in his letter of invitation.Inciarte invited 20 preeminentleaders from six countries and theUnited States. Inciarte will also beattending the summit as presidentof SPE. As with the first two round-tables, key findings from the eventwill be reported in the Journal ofPetroleum Technology.

“The opportunity for OU to host amajor event like this is a tribute toboth the new leadership in theCollege of Engineering, and the longand proud history of this universityas a key player in the energy indus-try,” says Millheim. “Our studentswill have a chance to see first-handhow an enormous industry like theoil business responds to change.”

The SPE Technology Summit is byinvitation only. For informationregarding media coverage, contactthe SPE Dallas office [email protected].

From Cardinal to Crimson

DEach of us who love OU and want

to preserve our industry must getinvolved. We need to help findyoung men and women who willuse PGE as a springboard to success— and then we need to supportthem. In doing so we are doingthem, PGE, and the industry a favor.Besides, it will make us fell prettydarn good about ourselves.

CampbellCampbellCampbellCampbellCampbell, continued from page 9

New Faculty

D

Richard G. Hughes is PGE’s newestfaculty member, joining the universitycommunity in January of this year.Hughes hails from Stanford Univer-sity, where he completed his PhD. inPetroleum Engineering in 1998. Healso holds a master ’s degree fromStanford as well as a B.S. with Honorsfrom the New Mexico Institute ofMining and Technology. His

Hughes brings experience fromAmerada Hess Corporation, Dwights Energy Data, and Tenneco OilCompany to his position as assistant professor. Please join the rest of thePGE family in welcoming Richard, his wife, Amy, and kids Randy, 7 1/2,and Michael, 3.

r. John M. CampbellSr. is CEO of theCampbell Group ofCompanies, with

offices in Norman, Oklahoma;Hamilton, Bermuda; London; andHouston, Texas. Until 1968, hewas chair of OU’s School of Petro-leum and Geological Engineering.He was elected to membership inthe National Academy of Engi-neering in 1991 “for contributionsto petroleum engineering theoryand practice, and the design ofoffshore gas and oil gatheringsystems.”


1111111111

Congratulations tothe graduatingseniors in petroleumengineering:

Steve Richards, IndustryAdvisory Board Chair, andJune Richards

1998Distinguished

ScholarsBanquet

October 23, 1998

1999-2000 Officers1999-2000 Officers1999-2000 Officers1999-2000 Officers1999-2000 OfficersSPE Student Chapter:

Amy Bunch

Joshua Cooper

Michael Mercer

Chen-Fah Ng

Craig Stewart

Oleg Tolmatchev

Robert Underwood, Jr.

Tia Watts

President: Ion Ispas

Vice President:

Rick Murillo

Secretary: Leo Kouemo

Treasurer: Walter Poquioma

St. Pat’s Representative:

Don Miller

Pi Epsilon Tau:President: Walter Poquioma

Executive Vice President:Catherine Seaton

Second Vice President:Julio Cabrera

Secretary-Treasurer:Kehinde Adesina

Corresponding Secretary:Rick Murillo

St. Pat’s Representative:Murray Gardin

Keith Millheim and RobUnderwood, 1998-99Toolpusher Award recipient,which recognizes studentswho have “gone the extramile” to help and promotePGE and named in honor ofthe person “who gets thingsdone around the rig.”

Keith Millheim congratulatesMojisola Enilari, elected by the

PGE faculty as 1998-99Outstanding Sophomore


1212121212

TNew Name Reflects Expanded Capabilities

FFFFFaculty Taculty Taculty Taculty Taculty Team:eam:eam:eam:eam:Dr. Subhash ShahDr. Samuel OsisanyaDr. Keith Millheim

EquipmentEquipmentEquipmentEquipmentEquipment■ Unique High Pressure Simulator(HPS) – 7 ft. X 9 1/3 ft. vertical slotwith state-of-the-art fiber opticvision system■ 9500 feet of coiled tubing rangingin size from 1 inch to 2 3/8 inch OD■ Field scale mixing and pumpingcapabilities.■ Bohlin rheometer and highpressure, high temperature Fannviscometers■ 500 ft. double-pipe heat exchanger■ Foam flow loop with elevatedtemperature testing capabilities■ Wireless data acquisition andcontrol systems

Engineering SerEngineering SerEngineering SerEngineering SerEngineering Servicesvicesvicesvicesvices■ Mathematical modeling / experi-mental study of fluid behavior■ Proppant transport and placement■ Frictional losses in straighttubulars as well as coiled tubing

Well Construction Technology Center:

■ Concentric and eccentric annuliflow behavior of complex fluids■ Proppant flowback and sandproduction studies■ Wellbore cleanout simulations andexperimental studies■ Dynamic fluid leakoff■ Near wellbore fluid behavior andperforation pressure losses■ Rheology of foam fluids

During this time of downsizingand mergers in the petroleum in-dustry, the WCTC faculty and re-search staff see the opportunity tocontinue to align themselves to theresearch needs of the industry. Formore information about WCTC, visitthe website at www.ou.edu/wctc.

he name of the Fractur-ing Fluid Characteriza-tion Facility, (FFCF), hasbeen changed to the

Well Construction TechnologyCenter (WCTC). This name changereflects the University of Okla-homa’s new strategies for commer-cialization, as well as the expandingcapabilities of this North Campusresearch facility.

The capabilities have been ex-panded to additional areas of the oiland gas industry, including drilling,completions and production. Thenew name encompasses the broadspectrum of the petroleum industryand more clearly defines the rolethat the Center will perform. Thestrategies for the expansion of thescope of the WCTC into otherresearch areas are in closer align-ment with those of the School ofPetroleum and Geological Engineer-ing, as well as the College of Engi-neering.

Several industry projects andthird-party proprietary tests arecurrently being conducted at theWCTC. The Fracturing Fluid Char-acterization project; Coiled TubingConsortium; Proppant FlowbackConsortium; SBIR sub-contracts; andseveral other proprietary tests areunder way at this time.

The WCTC provides a broadrange of engineering and techno-logical services to help meet theneeds of the petroleum industry.

Listed below are some of theequipment and engineering servicesunique to the Center:

TAccreditation Visit Scheduled for Fall


FFFFFaculty Taculty Taculty Taculty Taculty Team:eam:eam:eam:eam:Dr. Roy KnappDr. J.C. RoegiersDr. Djebbar TiabDr. Michael Wiggins, Team Leader

clear set of objectives, detail howthose objectives are achieved withinthe curriculum and demonstrate theobjectives are being met through aregular assessment program.

The petroleum engineeringprogram is putting together a selfstudy report that documents theeducational experience provided tothe student. The faculty, with inputfrom the Advisory Board, havedeveloped a set of program objec-tives:

1.1.1.1.1. Our graduates will be able toapply basic math, science, andengineering knowledge to identify,formulate, and solve engineeringproblems, design and conductexperiments, analyze and interpretdata, and design systems, compo-nents, or processes using moderntechniques, skills, and engineeringtools suitable for engineeringpractice.

2.2.2.2.2. Our graduates will experiencea broad-based education in anenvironment that fosters an under-standing of contemporary issues, theglobal and social impact of engineer-ing solutions, their ethical and

1313131313

Reservoir Engineering Excellence Team

FFFFFaculty Taculty Taculty Taculty Taculty Team:eam:eam:eam:eam:Dr. Faruk CivanDr. Anuj GuptaDr. Richard HughesDr. Daniel O’MearaDr. Keith Millheim, Team Leader

T

professional responsibility, and theneed for effective communicationand continuous learning for success-ful careers.

3.3.3.3.3. Our graduates will be able tocharacterize and evaluate subsurfacegeological formations using geologi-cal and engineering methods.

4.4.4.4.4. Our graduates will be able todesign and analyze systems fordrilling, completing and producingwells, and apply reservoir engineer-ing principles for optimizing re-source development.

5.5.5.5.5. Our graduates will be able toincorporate engineering economicsand resource evaluation methodswith the concepts of uncertainty andrisk management in the design andselection of equipment and proce-dures, and development of systemsor processes for production andrecovery of resources.

engineering curriculum and re-search activities. We seek to alignour curriculum and research withthe needs of oil and gas industrywhile instilling in our students anability for lifelong learning.

A graduate-level program focusedon reservoir engineering and man-agement is also under consideration.

he petroleum engineer-ing program at theUniversity of Oklahomahas been continuouslyaccredited since 1936

and is one of the oldest accreditedengineering programs at OU, alongwith civil, electrical and mechanicalengineering. This fall, the engineer-ing programs at the university willundergo an accreditation review bya team of visiting engineers fromindustry and academia. In anticipa-tion, preparations are under way inthe College of Engineering and theSchool of Petroleum and GeologicalEngineering to showcase our engi-neering programs.

Engineering programs in theUnited States are reviewed andaccredited by the EngineeringAccreditation Commission (EAC) ofthe Accreditation Board for Engi-neering and Technology (ABET).The EAC has recently made somemajor changes to the criteria foraccreditation. The new criteriarequire each program to develop a

he mission of this teamis to establish OU as aleading center ofexcellence in reservoirengineering education

and research. The team is conduct-ing a critical review of our reservoir


1414141414

Shawn AbtMr. & Mrs. W.B. AkersRichard AlexanderRoberta R. AllenGeorge AllmanRonny AltmanAmerada Hess CompaniesAmocoAnadarko PetroleumJames K. AndersonJames AndritosARCOR.F. AtkinsonB. P. ExplorationB. H. P. PetroleumBaker HughesGerald H. BarnesRobert BeamsJohn BellBHP PetroleumTray BlackBev BlackwoodJanice M.BrickeyLawrence BrockDon E. BrownBurlington ResourcesJames BurtnerHershel CarverPete CawthonChevronJohn ChisholmConocoCoppedge Oil & GasDavis CoppedgeJack CowanGlenn CoxCarol Lee CrainDesk & Derrick ClubJeff DietertRichard DixonDavid DonohueJ. Michael DrennenDu Pont/ConocoJames DuckThomas DuganMary ElderMarshall EnglandEnserch CorporationRichard and Ruth EvansRonald and Estelle Evans

ExxonLouis FasholzFidelity Investments CharitableDebra Ann FitterKelly FosterMargaret FosterRobert FowlerRanch FrederickDavid FreemanOhm P. GargAhmad GhassemiWayne GlennRichard & Linda GoddardW.S. GriffinJames GriffithWilliam GufeyGenliang GuoG. Carl HaleHalliburtonRobert HanleyCarey HardyMr. & Mrs. Roy HarrisChris HeavnerWinson HengArthur HollandRobert HollyDavid HuntIBMGustavo InciarteIngersoll-Rand CompanyBehram IraniFarieda IraniRonnie IraniKevin JensenJohn & Nancy Snyder FoundationJohn M. CampbellF.T. JohnsonCye KahanekJames KernKerr-McGeeRoy M. KnappKnighton Oil Company, Inc.Robert KnoxKPMG Peat Marwick FoundationR.H. KrummeL.O. Ward Oil OperationsMr. & Mrs. Newton Lale, Jr.Graydon LaughbaumJoseph LawnickMr. & Mrs. Fred LiebermanBill LindseyThomas LuccockCharles & Patricia Lukehart

Hulon MadeleyD. MalekzadehMarathon/USXAlex MassadThomas H. McCaslandHarry McLeodWilfred McLeodCurtis MewbourneMewbourne Oil CompanyMid-Continent Oilmen’s

Invitational, Inc.Bradley MillerCheryl MillerMartin MillerMobilEdward MorrisTom MortonJohn MoseleyAllan & Marilyn NeustadtNewville Engineering, Inc.NGC OilGregory NikkelOccidental Petroleum FoundationR. Alan O’DonnellWilliam OrrPacific EnterprisesBill ParkerJames D. PateRandy PattersonRobert PattersonJoe Stanley PeersonPhillips Petroleum Co.Pamela PierceMr. & Mrs. Dominique PinkneyMorris PitmanBlair PowellVernon PringleGertrude PruettQuintin Little Co.O. H. ReaughRuth Verne Davis ReaughJames RichardsSteven RichardsJohn RitzMark RupertMaralynn & Leo Sant

SchlumbergerLisa SchmidtMark SchumacherHollis ScogginMark SeefeldtJohn Seng

Don SessionsJohn SessionsShell Oil CompanyTerry ShyerShawn Lavette SimmonsPaul SimpsonBaljit SinghArlie SkovJack SleeperGeorge SmithGordon SmithSteven SmithWynne SnootsSnyder OilWilliam SnyderSociety of Petroleum EngineersSociety of Petroleum Engineers -

Gulf Coast SectionSociety of Petroleum Engineers -

Oklahoma City SectionSociety of Petroleum Engineers -

Permian Basin SectionSociety of Petroleum Engineers -

Mid-Continent SectionSouthern California GasDonald SpindlerJohn SquarekJames StanleyCharles StephensonHarriet StoneBruce StoverTenneco Management Co.TexacoJoseph ThomasRobert ThomasJo June & Clyde ToweryTurner, Michael TurnerUnion Oil Co.Union PacificUNOCALUSX FoundationJanis Van SandtRussell VanbiberVastarDian M. WadleyFred WagnerRobert WalkerRobert WallerWard OilWard Petroleum CorporationArliss WattsLoy WebbG.L. WegerLinda WeslingKristy WickerMichael & Tanya WigginsLester WilkonsonDonald WittPaul WittJohn YeagerBetty Zoccola & Bonnie Hartis

T he School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering is grateful forthe support our students and program receive from the followingfriends, companies and alumni. While we have made every effort toinsure the accuracy of these listings, please call to our attention and

accept our apologies for any errors or omissions.


1515151515

Scholarships, Internships:

he oil and gas industrywas all around whenSteve Meacham wasgrowing up in Clinton,Oklahoma. He always

liked math and science and waspretty sure he would study engi-neering in college when he pickedOU over OSU. But it wasn’t untilafter a successful freshman year,when Teri Walker, coordinator forstudent relations for PGE at thetime, called to invite him to considera career in petroleum engineeringthat Steve committed to the pro-gram and became a PGE Distin-

I magine being a freshman,and female, and telling yourmom that you’ve accepted asummer internship as a

roustabout on an off-shore produc-tion platform rig out of New Or-leans.

If you are curious about how thatmight go, ask Tia Watts, a fifth-yearpetroleum engineering senior whowill be graduating from OU thisMay.

“I know my mom was reallyconcerned about how I would betreated, but it was the best intern-ship. I learned so much, and thoseguys took me in like a little sister.”

And how many other womenworked on the platform? Two full-time cooks and one secretary. Tiawas the only female engineer, work-ing seven days on and seven daysoff through the summer of 1995 as aroustabout for Chevron. Her experi-

Tia Watts

T

Investments with Big Dividends

ence at Marathon Oil Company,where she interned last summer,and where she will begin full-timeemployment after graduation, wasanother great experience. “Myinternships definitely helped me de-cide what kind of company I wantedto work for. I liked that I had co-workers at Marathon who wereyoung, and there were severalfemale engineers.”

Watts encourages freshman andsophomore PE majors “to considerinternships very, very, veryimportant.”

“You can apply and relate whatyou learn in the classroom to whatyou are actually going to be doingand that can be incredibly helpful,”says Watts. She is also grateful forthe scholarship support she receivedduring her undergraduate career atOU. “I am definitely planning oncontributing scholarships for otherstudents as a result of the contribu-tions that were made to me.“(Scholarships) totally enabled me tohave a successful college career, Iwas able to concentrate on school.”

Tia credits Sydney Jones, assistantdirector of OU’s Minority Engineer-ing Program (MEP) with helpingher decide to major in petroleumengineering. Tia has been a memberof MEP and has held offices in boththe student chapter of the Society ofPetroleum Engineers (SPE) and PiEpsilon Tau, the petroleum engi-neering honorary. The PGE facultyselected Tia 1998-99 OutstandingPGE Senior. She is originally fromMcAlester, Oklahoma.

guished Scholar. Now in his junioryear, he has one internship underhis belt and is committed to thesame company, Mewbourne OilCompany, for another internshipnext summer.

“The internship experience ispriceless,” says Steve. “The chanceto get out there in the field andlearn how to establish a good rap-port with the guys you will be work-ing with and for, it’s just so crucial.”Joseph Odom, vice president forAdministration at Mewbourne OilCompany, agrees. “Internships helpus find out so much about a poten-

tial employee that you can’t learnfrom their grades or even their skilllevel. How quickly can they learn?Do they take initiative? How do

SteveMeacham



1616161616

Don Miller, Petroleum

Engineering senior from

Neilton, Washington, elected

1999 OU Engineering King, the

second PE major in a row to be

so honored. Craig Stewart was

Engineering King in 1998.

Engineering King

they get along with people? Ourinternship program is a real main-stay of our company.” Of the seveninterns Mewbourne has lined up towork next summer, four are fromOU.

Steve says he prefers “fieldwork”to “bookwork” and his career goalswill require a healthy dose of both.Steve plans to graduate from OU inMay of 2000 with two degrees, onein petroleum engineering and asecond degree in letters, an interdis-ciplinary program with a concentra-tion on the humanities. He hasthought about attending law schooland becoming an oil and gas lawyer.With a strong academic record andthe experience gained throughsummer internships, Steve has lotsof options.

MurrayGardin

MScholarshipsScholarshipsScholarshipsScholarshipsScholarships, continued from page 15

things considered—tradition,quality of graduates, reputation ofthe program-when you add in thegenerous scholarship support, OUjust could not be beat.”

Murray knew all along that hewould go into the oil business, whathe calls the “most exciting, dynamicbusiness around.” “But the scholar-ship support was really instrumen-tal. Without it, this would not havebeen a reality for me.” He has alsobenefited from both summer intern-ships and working part-time whileattending school full-time. His workat Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas inOklahoma City and Union PacificResources in Fort Worth, Texas, havehelped him form definite perspec-tives about the future of the indus-try, and his role in that industry.

“To be successful, and in thisindustry in particular, you need tohave a flexible vision of the future.The industry needs people who aredynamic, resourceful, clever andquite tough, to bring it into the 21stcentury. I want to be one of thosepeople.” Murray is a former memberof President David Boren’s Interna-tional Leadership Class and wasrecently elected St. Pat’s Day repre-sentative for Pi Epsilon Tau, thepetroleum engineering honorary.

urray Gardin grewup in “the heart ofthe Canadian oilpatch” in Olds,

Alberta, Canada, north of Calgary.He gives credit to OU alumni likeLeo O’Rourke, and many othersfrom Canada, who attended theUniversity of Oklahoma then re-turned to build the oil and gasindustry Canadians enjoy today.Murray heard all about “the tradi-tion, the quality of the graduates,and the Boomer Sooner school spirit”from these Canadian Sooners. Healready knows the OU Club ofCanada is the University ’s largestalumni association outside the stateof Oklahoma.

“Even though I had heard allabout OU when I was growing up, Ispent about a year looking at petro-leum programs in the United Statesand Canada,” reflects Gardin. “All


New PGE Staff Members Since July, 1998:

1717171717

Kelly Foster, Assistant to the Director

Lisa Schmidt, Coordinator, Student Relations andEditor, OU Discovery

Chyrl Yerdon, Graduate Secretary

Dawn Mueller, Accounting Specialist

A Note from Roy Knapp

1818181818

education, one that prepares themfor a career in providing and usingthe technology to produce theessential sources of energy minerals.As economies in the less developedcountries regain their normalgrowth, the balance between de-mand and supply will be reestab-lished. Then things will becomegood again.

For me, things are good now. Ihave the privilege of returning tomy regular faculty duties, duties towhich I eagerly look forward. Itappears there may be renewedgovernment interest in researchdirected toward enhancing thevalue of the domestic hydrocarbonresource base. My interests in mi-crobial enhancement of oil recoveryand using reservoir characterizationand simulation to identify opportu-nities for increasing recovery factorsseem to be timely again. Addition-ally, I want to commit time to re-viewing and perhaps revising ourstudents’ laboratory learning experi-ences in reservoir mechanics.

Lifelong learning is a currentfocus of ABET. I believe that asfaculty, we always try to convey thatcontinued learning is essential for

continued success. I want tocontribute a little to yourpursuit of continued learn-ing. There are five booksyou can benefit from readingduring the first five yearsafter you leave OU. Duringyour first five or so years,every change of job assign-ment opens career growthopportunities. These bookscan help you develop per-

spectives on some of the choices youmay be offered and on your andothers’ roles. Even if you have beengone for more than five years, youmay enjoy reading these books. Allare available in paperback andrelatively inexpensive. Only two ofthem are recent. The others are“classics” or should be. Read themin any order. I think you will findthey are interesting, sometimesamusing and surely provocative..■ How to Read a Book by Mortimer J.Adler and Charles Van Doren.

■ The Prize: the Epic Quest for Oil,Money, and Power by Daniel H.Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw

■ Parkinson’s Law and Other Studiesin Administration by C. NorthcoteParkinson

■ Extraordinary Popular Delusionsand the Madness of Crowds by CharlesMackay

■ Generations: the History ofAmerica’s Future, 1584-2069 byWilliam Strauss and Neil Howe

IRoy Knapp and student.



t was my privilege to serveyour school as interimdirector for the past twoacademic years. When asked

to serve, I was pleased for tworeasons. First, the university’sofficers thought my service could beuseful to one of the university ’simportant programs. Second, I wasanxious to see if I had the phy-sicalstamina to work on things that wereimportant. I feel that together withthe faculty, staff, students andalumni we have accomplished somethings of value. First, we have con-tinued to be an important source ofpetroleum and geological engineer-ing talent for industry. Second, wehave continued to add to the knowl-edge base of petroleum and geologi-cal technology and understandingthrough a robust research program.Through the leadership of our In-dustry Advisory Board, our alumnihave continued to support ourindustry, university, and school.Finally, our faculty recruited twonew colleagues. Keith K. Millheim(MS ’64) joined us at the start of theacademic year as director and EberlyChair. At the start of the springsemester, Richard G. Hughes joinedus as an assistant professor. Welook forward to the new ideas andenergy they will bring to our pro-grams.

Our students, along with many ofthe rest of us, are having a stressfultime with job searches and careerdoubts. The important thing for ourstudents is that they obtain a quality


For those of you who have beenin any of my classes, you know thatI generally start each class withannouncements. My book list is asmall effort to continue that tradi-tion.

Please stop and visit when youreturn to your alma mater.

ship Award. He is a board mem-ber of several technology-basedcorporations and is a correspond-ing member of the Swiss Acad-emy of Engineering Sciences.

Before joining HARC in 1985,Porter served as director andCEO of the Texas EngineeringExperiment Station, part of theTexas A&M University System. Inaddition, he was a tenuredprofessor of electrical engineer-ing and director of A&M¹sInstitute for Solid State Electron-ics. His research led to numerouspublications and patents as well

PPPPPorterorterorterorterorter, continued from page 8

1919191919

KnappKnappKnappKnappKnapp, continued from page 18

Dr. Roy Knapp is the MewbourneProfessor of Petroleum andGeological Engineering and

former Director of the Schoolof Petroleum and Geological

Engineering.

as regular funding from govern-ment and industry.

As a member of the technicalstaff of Texas Instrument’s Semi-conductor Research and Develop-ment labs (1966-1968), he devel-oped the first fully automatedsystem used in manufacturingintegrated circuits.

Porter received his bachelor¹sand master ’s of sciences degreesin physics from the University ofNorth Texas and his Ph.D. ininterdisciplinary engineering fromTexas A&M.

All 12 students in Group I chosethe thesis option and are expected todefend in the summer of 1999 inBoumerdes. “This is certainly anoutstanding group of students,”observed Tiab. “No one has a gradepoint average lower than 3.25, andthree students have a perfect 4.0.”

Three PGE faculty members willtravel to Algeria in May 1999, toadminister exams: Samuel Osisanya,who is supervising research projectsfor three of the students; SubhashShah (supervising two students’research), and Tiab (seven students).

The 14 Algerian students in thesecond group started the graduateprogram in the 1999 spring semesterand are expected to graduate in

December 2000. A research associ-ate/adjunct professor is expected tojoin Tiab in the fall semester 1999.She or he will be totally supportedby Algerian Graduate Programfunds and will begin teachingcourses in the spring semester 2000.

The University of Oklahoma andSonatrach/Institut Algerian duPetrole (IAP) signed the contractestablishing the University ofOklahoma Graduate Program inJune 1996. The contract was signedby David L. Boren, president ofthe University of Oklahoma, andA. Sebbagh, director of HumanResources - Sonatrach. The durationof this initial program is eight years,July 1997 through June 2005.

Algerian Program Update

Two groups of studentsare currently enrolled inthe University of Oklahoma Graduate Programin Petroleum Engineer-

ing in Algeria. The $2.5 millionprogram, which officially started inJuly, 1997 is funded totally bySonatrach, with Djebbar Tiab,UNOCAL Professor of PetroleumEngineering, as project director.

The 12 students of Group-1 havecompleted their coursework. SixOU PGE faculty members taughtcourses in the program. The OUGraduate College also granted“Special Graduate Faculty Member-ship” to two Algerian professorswho taught courses in the program.

2020202020


The University of OklahomaSchool of Petroleum and Geological Engineering

100 East Boyd, Room T-301Norman, OK 73019-0628

405-325-2921Fax: 405-325-7477

Toll-free: 1-800-522-0772, extension 2921

www.ou.edu/engineering/peteng

The University of Oklahoma is a doctoral degree-granting research university serving the educational,cultural and economic needs of the state, region and nation. Created by the Oklahoma Territorial

Legislature in 1890, the University has 18 colleges offering 134 degree programs, 82 master ’s degreeprograms, 51 doctoral degrees, four graduate certificates, and one professional degree. OU enrolls more than 25,000students on campuses in Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa and has approximately 1,830 full-time faculty members.The University ’s annual operating budget is $590 million.

OU DiscoveryOU DiscoverySchool of Petroleum and Geological Engineering

The University of Oklahoma is an Equal Opportunity Institution.This institution in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis ofrace, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices or procedures.This includes but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid, and educational services.

OU DiscoveryOU DiscoverySchool of Petroleum and Geological EngineeringSarkeys Energy Center100 E. Boyd, Room T-301Norman, OK 73019-0628

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

University of OklahomaPAID

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