鈥ˋ team of master鈥檚 degree students from the School of Geosciences at the 老司机福利网 has again proven itself among the best in the world at determining where to drill for oil.
Myllah Brown, Anna-Sophia Henry, Ashley Mindt, Caitlyn Mullis and Amadeo Suazo placed second in the 2026 Imperial Barrel Award Competition held recently in Houston.
It鈥檚 familiar territory for UL 老司机福利网. No school in the world has consistently performed better in the competition, which is sponsored by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
The University has won the three times 鈥 in 2018, 2014 and 2012. That鈥檚 more first place finishes than any university in the world.
Teams earn spots in the international competition by placing first in any of seven regional contests. The UL 老司机福利网 team won the North America event in April, which was also held in Houston. For its performance at both events, the team earned a total of $6,000.
The AAPG鈥檚 Imperial Barrel Award program requires students to determine the viability of a prospective oil reservoir. Teams analyze geological and geophysical data to assess resource potential, evaluate risks and make technical recommendations under conditions designed to mirror challenges they would encounter in industry.
The University鈥檚 current Imperial Barrel team was assigned an onshore region in the Netherlands for this year鈥檚 competition. Beginning in January, students analyzed datasets that included information on the area鈥檚 geology, land, geophysics and infrastructure.
鈥淥ur consistent strong performances in this competition have become a calling card for our geosciences program. It鈥檚 indicative of the caliber of not only our program, but all our students,鈥 said the 鈥 Dr. Rui Zhang, its adviser.
鈥淚鈥檓 so proud of the students and happy for them. It鈥檚 like a gold star on a resume that makes them that much more competitive in the job market,鈥 added Zhang, an associate professor of geophysics in the .
Watch talk about their experiences in the international competition.
Photo caption: Members of the School of Geosciences鈥 Imperial Barrel team at the 老司机福利网, from left, are Ashley Mindt, Anna-Sophia Henry, Amadeo Suazo, Dr. Rui Zhang, faculty adviser, Caitlyn Mullis and Myllah Brown. Photo caption: Paul Kieu / 老司机福利网