Petroleum Engineering Capital Campaign

The following describes the major needs and goals for the Petroleum Engineering program at New Mexico Tech. In summary, the list includes:

The first two are substantial and are considered long term goals. The third, lab facilities, is a continuous process of upgrading and replacing equipment. As a result, some equipment needs are short term, such as upgrading old equipment, while otheres are long term; e.g., purchasing new equipment. The last item, funds for student activities and professional development, re-occurs every academic year and consequently is a short term goal.

 

Endowed Positions

The Langdon B. Taylor Endowed Chair in Petroleum Engineering was created in 1989 to honor the significant contributions of Lang Taylor to New Mexico Tech. It was created by students and alumni and supported by industry. Currently, the balance in the fund is 1.3 million which generates funds to support one-half of a faculty salary. The goal is to fully support one faculty position, which will require an additional $1 million.

The John Kelly/Alumni Endowed Chair in Petroleum Engineering was created in 2011 to honor the contributions of the John and Ester Kelly Family to New Mexico Tech. The fund was initiated by the family with the request the endowment grows through donations from the alumni. Currently the balance of the endowment is $1 million which partially supports a faculty position. The goal is to fully support one faculty position, which will require an additional $1.5 million.

 

Lab Facilities

To provide students with the latest technologies and equipment we are continually modifying and upgrading the Petroleum Engineering Department's lab facilities. Our immediate need is to upgrade and expand he computer equipment in the Reservoir Characterization and Simulation Lab. Equipment is + 8 years old and thus outdated and chronically failing. In addition, the latest growth in enrollment in petroleum engineering has increased demand, which further complicates the failure rate. The program is in need of $50,000 to replace and expand technology equipment, including computers, projectors and auxiliary equipment. We are requesting your support to achieve this goal and provide the tools necessary to graduate the best students. The Reservoir Characterization and Simulation Lab was created to allow a petroleum engineering student access to state-of-the-art software and thus be prepared for engineering practice. We have $+50 million worth of commercial software, licensed via Educational Grant programs administered by many top companies. We are the only program outside of CS and DE to have this advanced technology in the classroom. Many former students have indicated they use the same software at work and thus greatly benefited from having this background at New Mexico Tech. A longer range plan is to create an endowed fund to support lab facilities. The annual interest would provide a source of stable funds to support all petroleum engineering labs. Our current goal is to raise $400,000 towards this effort. 

 

Student/Faculty Support

In addition to equipment, the program supports student activities and faculty professional development. As examples we have supported:

Professional development of faculty to conferences and symposiums. Participation in these events provides exposure and recognition to NMT.

The Wild Well Control School-extremely popular among the students and beneficial as all students receive well control certification.

Student travel to conferences and contests.

Collaborating with the SPE and AADE student chapters in sponsoring the widely popular SPE golf tournaments, the Langdon Taylor Banquet, and field trips to drilling and/or production facilities.

 Our goal is to raise $20,000 to augment the department's budget

 

Prepared by:

Thomas W. Engler, Ph.D, P.E.

Professor/Chair-Petroleum Engineering

Dean of Engineering

March, 2015