Only two students each year are selected as winners of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators (AIPN) Student Writing Competition, and this year OU College of Law 2010 graduate Aleksei Tarasov nabbed one of the awards.

The competition is open to full time seniors in four-year programs and graduate students at accredited universities worldwide. The association itself is an international organization that “supports international energy negotiators around the world and enhances their effectiveness and professionalism in the international energy community,” according to its website.

Tarasov, who completed law school and received political science degree at OU, submitted a 130-page thesis paper, “The Making of Empires: Russia’s Gas-exporting Pipelines v. Nabucco,” from his International Petroleum Transactions class to the competition at the encouragement of his professor, Owen Anderson.

“He was an excellent student. He is very professional and is extremely well-versed in international law,” Anderson, who is currently in Bankgok, said in an e-mail,

Tarasov won a trip to Doha, Qatar, for the AIPN International Conference.

The paper, which focuses on the Nabucco pipeline project and its competitors from Russia, the Caspian region and the Persian Gulf, is an in-depth analysis of the construction of gas pipelines in Europe and the incentives offered by each competitor for the same margin of land.

“The incentives that Russia offers are more appealing than those of Europe, and their supplies are much more secure than that of European pipelines,” Tarasov said. “The U.S. is also involved because they do not want to see Europe dependent on Russia’s natural resources.”

For Tarasov, who had experience as a managing editor for Russian-American Business Magazine for five years, winning the competition was more than just a simple achievement.

“For me, this was not just a project with no relevance to daily life. I was personally involved,” Tarasov said. “Not too many people would examine the area as closely as I have.”

Tarasov moved to the United States from Russia 11 years ago, and knows what it takes for an international student to flourish in a new country. He applied to prestigious Ivy League universities in the U.S. but was not accepted. He said he decided to attend OU when he received a full National Merit Scholarship and learned about the university’s international program.

“You would not think a school in Oklahoma would have that,” he added.

In addition to the international programs at OU, Tarasov also gained experience through his studies at the OU College of Law. The college provides a national and international caliber legal education and provides access to great career opportunities, said Joseph Harroz, dean of the College of Law.

“Aleksei obviously is special,” Harroz said. “He is representative of many students that are exceptional like him. His accomplishments reflect the quality of the students we’re bringing in.”

As for his future, Tarasov said he plans to continue his work with Russian-American Business Magazine and oil reclamation projects. Tarasov, who said a passion for his work drives him, advises “pursue the study of projects and areas in which you have a personal stake and want to become a top level professionalist.” It is not only the work that is important, but also gaining a “personal pleasure from working.”