Partnering Across the Globe
The Bureau of Economic Geology conducts research and establishes partnerships around the world. From the Arctic to Australia, Bureau researchers travel to wherever the science leads. In 2017, the Bureau continued to enhance its broad international presence.
In January, the Bureau hosted a group of twelve researchers and managers from Statoil, Norway’s national energy company, for its inaugural professional-development training course. The week-long series of highly interactive presentations and activities exposed the rising stars from Statoil to a broad range of Bureau research and industry-engagement efforts.
For over a decade, the Bureau has worked diligently to establish productive relationships with industry and academics in China. In August, the Bureau hosted a delegation from China—including leaders from the country’s environmental regulatory authority, the Chinese Assessment Center of Environment and Engineering—for a day of presentations and discussions about advancing China’s fledgling shale-gas exploration industry and promoting that country’s natural-gas production without overly restrictive environmental regulations.
Also in August, the Bureau cohosted a large delegation from Mexico for 2 days of discussions. Conducted in conjunction with UT Austin’s Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering (PGE), the visit identified synergies between the new exploration initiatives of the government and energy industry of Mexico and the advanced energy research being conducted by the Bureau and PGE.
Bureau and China University of Petroleum delegates meet in Qingdao, China.
In October, Bureau director Scott W. Tinker and lead researchers Julia Gale and Svetlana Ikonnikova traveled to Qingdao, China, at the invitation of the president of the China University of Petroleum, geoscientist Dr. Fang Hao, and entered into a memorandum of understanding ensuring future collaboration between the two institutions on research into unconventional reservoirs and shales.
