Petroleum engineers to take Amazon trip

An OU college will sponsor a 12-day study abroad course in the Colombian Amazon this summer.

Mewbourne College of Earth & Energy petroleum engineering majors will travel to Colombia from July 18 to 30, and the course will provide information on applied reservoir engineering and advances in enhanced oil recovery techniques, according to a press release.

The three-credit course will be taught in English by OU petroleum engineering professor Yucel Akkutlu and Colombian National University petroleum engineering professor and OU alumna Dora Restrepo, according to the press release.

Students interested in participating in the course can still sign up to participate, said Yoana Walschap, Mewbourne professor and Energy Institute of the Americas director.

“We are going to provide a travel scholarship to most of the students,” Walschap said. “Right now I have only five students, and would like to have a few more enrolled.”

Students who travel to Colombia will perform field work on the local environment and study the indigenous communities, Walschap said.

“I think that our students will learn more than simply the content of the course with this experience, but also will witness firsthand the local environment, the beauty of the area, a different culture and will appreciate more this world’s treasure and help to maintain it for future generations,” Walschap said.

The trip and course are unique opportunities for petroleum engineering students to take what they learn in the classroom to the field, Walschap said.

Students majoring in petroleum engineering have very few opportunities to study abroad at OU, Walschap said.

How to apply for the course1. Course prerequisites: Petroleum Engineering 3413, 3513, 3723, 38132. Acquire an application from Yaona Walschap’s office, Sarkeys Energy Center 14143. Provide with the application statement of purpose, letter of recommendation and copy of student passport— Source: Yoana Walschap, Energy Institute of the Americas director