Representatives from 22 companies plus 205 students – including some from non-U.S. locales – attended the recent AAPG-SEG Spring Break Student Expo in Norman, Okla.
Representatives from 22 companies plus 205 students – including some from non-U.S. locales – attended the recent AAPG-SEG Spring Break Student Expo in Norman, Okla.
Students from as far away as Mexico and Minnesota made the trip to the University of Oklahoma campus, where they experienced networking, company interviews, poster sessions, short courses and various entertainment activities.
Making contacts was an especially high priority at the Expo, and students were kept busy just by getting to know as many people – company and otherwise – as possible.
“I think the student Expo is a great opportunity and a good learning experience for any graduate student,” said Shannon LeBlanc, a senior at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette, who will do graduate work at the University of Houston.
“Most students, including myself, noticed things were pretty fierce this year, but I think we can take that as some of the best experience,” she said. “We all have to learn how to be competitive and how to market ourselves (especially right now) and the student Expo definitely gives us the opportunity to do so.”
The Expo ended with an awards ceremony to honor the winners of the best poster contest. They were:
Geology
- Christopher D. Althoff, University of Oklahoma (first place, $500).
- Lois E. Yoksoulian, University of Kentucky (second place, $250).
- Ryan D. Lindsay, Baylor University (third place, $100).
Geophysics
- Victor Pena, University of Oklahoma (first place, $500).
- Jesus Eduardo Mar Hernandez, CICESE (Mexico) (second place, $250).
- Charles B. Inyang, University of Houston (third place, $100).
The Spring Break Student Expo was the first of several similar AAPG Student events planned for the coming year. For information on the program and events go to the AAPG Students Web site.
Upcoming events include:
- Student Job Quest, Sept. 20-21 (with Eastern Section meeting), Evansville, Ind.
- Fall Student Expo, Sept. 21-22, Houston.
- Rocky Mountain Rendezvous, Sept. 25-28 (tentative), Laramie, Wyo.
- West Coast Student Expo, Oct. 1-3,California State University, Northridge, Calif.