Buthaina al Riyami
STudents of Sultan Qaboos University won third place in the 2022 PetroCup World Student Olympics for oil and gas engineering students at the Russian NAFTA University.
Students studying petroleum engineering from various universities around the world compete in the PetroCup Olympics. Each participating university was asked to put together a group of ten petroleum engineering-focused students. The competition is based on the various tasks that are given to competitors. The assignment is to use a simulator to develop an oil field and boost production for five years in a row.
The Society of Petroleum Engineers selected 10 students of Sultan Qaboos University including Aisha al Fadhaili, Aisha al Zaabi, Ali a Nizwani, Hamad al Fahdi, Ibrahim al Mahrouqi, Imran al Balushi, Mahmoud al Busaidy, Marwa al Surayhi, Rowa al Amri and Zayana al Busaidy. The SQU team in the first phase competed with regional teams and accomplished second place which qualified them for the global competition.
The team acknowledged that there were numerous challenges and struggles to overcome, making it difficult to win the competition. One of the challenges the team faced at the outset of their journey is the way the team was put together. They found it challenging to collaborate with a group of ten people who all had unique perspectives, which was made more challenging by the fact that they had never worked as a team before. However, all acknowledged that in the end, they have a cohesive team that aspires to achieve greater success.
Additionally, they believe that their team’s success is just the beginning and they intend to compete in additional regional and international competitions. Working as a team, in the opinion of senior Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering student Ibrahim al Mahrouqi, was the best option because different perspectives result in a variety of knowledge.
The team members concurred that their involvement in the PetroCup competition helped to develop and hone a variety of skills, including time management, cooperation, communication, problem-solving, management, and many others.
They also gain experience working under pressure because they had to put together a plan for running a specific field for five years in two days. Al Mahrouqi said that by taking part, he had the chance to learn many crucial skills related to the oil and gas industry. His self-confidence and awareness of his skills increased as a result of their winning qualities.
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