Australian School of Petroleum

The Australian School of Petroleum is a centre for petroleum education, training and research at the University of Adelaide in South Australia. The school integrates teaching and research programs in the disciplines of petroleum geoscience, engineering and management and was formed in 2003. It is housed in the purpose-built Santos Petroleum Engineering Building on the University's North Terrace campus. As of 2015 the Head of the school is Steve Begg. Prior to his appointment at the university in 2002, he worked for 19 years in the oil and gas industry; for 13 of those for BP.[1]

History

The University of Adelaide established the National Centre for Petroleum Geology and Geophysics (NCPGG) on campus in 1986. The School of Petroleum Engineering and Management (SPEM) was also established in 2000.[2] The latter development was facilitated by a commitment to the University of AU $25 million made by oil and gas company, Santos Limited in 1999. At the time it was believed to be 'the largest single industry sponsorship ever given to a public university in Australia.'[3]

On 1 August 2001, Professor Peter Behrenbruch was appointed as the first Head of SPEM. He had been previously employed as Chief Reservoir Engineer with BHP Billiton, and a partnership between the school and his former employer soon followed.[4]

In July 2003, the NCPGG and the SPEM merged to form the Australian School of Petroleum.[2]

Partnerships

BHP Billiton became the first corporate partner to follow Santos' original commitment of AU $25 million. The multi-national resource company committed $100,000 to funding research at the school, to be dispensed across 2002 and 2003.[4] During a visit in 2001, Keith Hunter from BHP Billiton said of the relationship:

"We are looking forward to employing graduates from the School in four years time... We have also asked Professor Behrenbruch to develop some in-house courses for engineers already employed in BHP Billiton."[4]

The University's Vice-Chancellor Cliff Blake said of the school's relationship with corporate sponsors:

"The company (Santos Ltd) and the University intended the School to operate as a major resource for the benefit of the entire oil and gas industry."[4]

Scholarships and prizes

The school offers scholarships and presents prizes annually to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Scholarships include:[5]

  • Santos Scholarships (which include half, full and incentive scholarships)
  • John F Kennedy Memorial Scholarship
  • APPEA Oil and Gas Industry Engineering Scholarship for Indigenous Australians
  • Society of Petroleum Engineers Scholarship

Sixteen prizes are awarded annually, fourteen of which are sponsored by industry partners. Sponsors include: Beach Energy, Bear and Brook Consulting, BP, Chevron Australia, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Origin Energy, Santos, Shell and Woodside Energy.[5]

References
  1. "Professor Steve Begg". The University of Adelaide - University Staff Directory. The University of Adelaide. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  2. "Australian School of Petroleum - About - History". University of Adelaide. University of Adelaide. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  3. "News & events - $25 million Santos sponsorship a major boost for industry". University of Adelaide. 13 August 1999. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  4. "BHP Billiton announces $100,000 funding". The University of Adelaide. The University of Adelaide. 7 September 2001. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  5. "Australian School of Petroleum - Scholarships". University of Adelaide. University of Adelaide. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
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