Daniel Hirschl

Soft skills to facilitate success in the current economic crisis

Once again the workshop was held by Lori and Dwyann Dalrymple from Architecture of Communication. They are running their own company, which is specialised in teaching industry professionals and students how to utilise soft skills in the work life.

The workshop started Friday in the morning with a fun exercise. Everybody had to take a shoe off and put it in front of the white board. Then each participant had to pick a shoe which didnt belong to him and talk to the owner of the shoe. Then he had to introduce this person to the rest of the participants. Afterwards Lori talked about the importance of critial thinking and how it can influence our behaviour in the daily life. It is an important skill because it influences our decision making process. Another interesting topic which was covered, was the difference between vertical and lateral thinking. Vertical thinking means that coming up with a solution for a certain problem or task. Compared to that lateral thinking is totally different and it is mostly used by creative persons. It is not a structured process and it means that you come up with several ideas and new paths during the process of solving a specific problem or task.

After lunch it was time to adress the topic “The power of appearance”. People form an opinion about you during the first sixty seconds they meet you. This is especially important during an interview situation. Therefore you should always be the best version of yourself. The day was concluded with short presentations where each particpant had to state two facts about their life which are true and one lie. Afterwards the other participants had to find out which of the three statements was the lie based on the performance of the presenter.

On the second day of the workshop the participants learned how to create a personal brand. The personal brand is something which seperates an individual from the rest. The creation of a personal brand starts with the CV. Basically all the students who finish university start with the same technical background. Therefore you have to highlight what makes you special, such as volunteerism, special skills and if possible your record about writing papers. After that you have to think about your performance in an interview. You should never be underdressed and it is appropriate for an interview to show up in a suit and tie. Furthermore your overall appearance should be confident but not arrogant and pay attention to cultural differences. What might be appropriate for an interview in Austria does not necessarily apply to any other country.

After lunch the focus was on the so called SWOT analysis. Theses letters stand for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. By doing that you can quickly find out which strengths you already have and where you have to improve. Opportunities represent what you can do to enhance your chances of acomplishing a goal. And you have to think about threats which could possibly lead to trouble on your way to acomplish that goal. Finally in the last session of the workshop the partcipants learned about SMART goals. Goals should always be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time bound. If you set goals based on this technique you are more likely to succeed.

During the whole workshop Lori and Dwyann encouraged the participants to use their skills in different exercises. For example in one of the exercises the participants had to form teams. Afterwards they had to build a tower made out of paper without using any items such as glue or a scissor. The team with the higher tower won the competition. It was a simple exercise but it required the application of several skills such as leadership, time management, critical thinking and communication.

In the end the Montanuniversitaet Leoben SPE Student Chapter would like to thank Lori and Dwyann very much for their time and effort to make this workshop possible. Once again it was a great pleasure for us to learn from your experience, expertise and knowledge. Furthermore we would like to thank the SPE Vienna Basin Section for their financial contribution to make this workshop possible. We really appreciate this generous support.

If you want to have further infomation about Lori and Dwyanns expertise and their company please follow the link to their homepage:

http://arofcom.com/aocskills/

Internship Opportunity Transaustria Gasleitung GmbH

If you are still looking for an internship we would like to present you a great opportunity. The Transaustria Gasleitung GmbH is offering two internships this year. One is in the field of system management and the other in the field of HSEQ.

The internships will take place in the headquarter in Vienna. The duration for the internship in system management is from one month up to three months. The HSEQ internship lasts for six months. Both internships are paid internships.

If you want to find out more about the company, please click on the following link: Transaustria Gasleitung GmbH

Furthermore please check the links below if your profile fits the requirements. The deadline for the applications is the 31st of January 2017. Please submit your application to the email-adress which is mentioned in the files.

We wish you good luck with your application.

Your Montanuniversitaet Leoben SPE Student Chapter

System Management-Internship

HSEQ-Internship

Soft Skill Workshop by AOC, Career Strategies for young professionals

As students we are constantly increasing our knowledge about specific technical topics during the course of our studies. Nevertheless success is not only based on technical skills. The oil industry is a global industry and more than ever it is necessary to master soft skills as well. To cover this highly interesting and important topic, the Montanuniversitaet Leoben SPE Student Chapter organised a two days softskill-workshop which took place from the 2nd to the 3rd December 2016.

The workshop was held by Lori and Dwyann Dalrymple who are running their own company, which is specialised in teaching industry professionals and students how to utilise soft skills in the work life.

The workshop began by giving a presentation. The presentation had to be prepared at home, about a topic of our choice. The presentation was recorded for further evaluation. Several different topics were addressed. The topics ranged from people talking about their hometown, to an introduction how to use a specific software properly.

The afternoon was dedicated to the topic, “How to make you a dynamic presenter”. Lori gave a lot of useful insights how to improve the presentation style and the overall communication skills. What was obvious from the beginning, often only little changes can make a big difference. Furthermore it is very important to know who is going to be the audience. Especially for presentations in the oil industry where it is very likely to face a multicultural audience. These and more techniques how to improve the presentations were introduced during the afternoon session.

The second day started by a mock interview session. Dwyann who already has more than thirty years of experience in hiring and also firing people, faced us with some ideas how a real interview session could look like. We had to answer questions about ourselves but also some questions which were a little bit outside of the box. Have you ever asked yourself which animal you would like to be? Maybe you should ask yourself before the next interview.

Afterwards we continued by giving the same presentation than yesterday but this time with incorporating all the learned techniques. The presentations were recorded and feedback about that material is going to be sent to all the participants in a few weeks.

Workshop Participants together with teacher Lori Dalrymple on the left — Group Picture

Finally at the end of the second day Dwyann gave two interesting technical presentations. One about hydraulic and fracturing and the other about the production of water, possible causes for that and how to deal with it. This was a perfect opportunity for the participants to see how soft and technical skills can be combined to be an effective presenter.

In the end the Montanuniversitaet Leoben SPE Student Chapter would like to thank Lori and Dwyann very much for their time and effort to make this workshop possible. It was a great pleasure for us to learn from your experience, expertise and knowledge. We are looking forward to repeat that in the future.

If you want to have further information about Lori and Dwyanns expertise and their company please follow the link to their homepage:

http://arofcom.com/aocskills/

Adventures in the Middle East – ATCE 2016 in Dubai

From the 26^th -28^th of September professionals and students from around the world gathered in this wonderful city to address the future challenges that this industry has to face. Alongside of them were three members of the SPE Student Chapter Leoben, using this opportunity to participate in panel discussions, workshops and technical sessions. Besides that, there was also time for some sightseeing, networking and meeting some good friends from other student chapters. The following is the story about their visit.

On the 25^th of September Emirates EK 128 departed at 15:05 from Vienna International Airport and was heading to Dubai. The main reason for using Emirates was that this route is operated by an A 380 and Emirates offered some discount because they were the official partner airline of the conference. After 6 hours of flight we arrived in Dubai and spend the rest of the day in the hotel meeting some friends from overseas.

Monday the 26^th of September was the official starting day for the conference. During the opening ceremony the CEO of Saudi Aramco addressed the current issues in the industry and pointed out a possible solution for the future that included a concept for dealing with the low oil price. Afterwards a panel discussion took place. High ranked managers from different companies among them the CEOs of Schlumberger, Baker Hughes and the Kuwait Oil Company were discussing about the topic “E&P 2.0: Shaping the future“. The overall conclusion of this discussion was that every part of the industry has to adapt to the new environment because most likely this situation will last for a longer time.

In the afternoon the workshop “How to write a good technical paper” gave some useful insights into the procedure of successfully writing a paper and the whole reviewing process that is carried out if you submit a paper for an SPE Conference.

In the evening we spent our time with a sightseeing tour through the Dubai Mall. Finally, we made our way up to the 148^th floor of the Burj Khalifa which is currently the highest building in the world, with a total height of 828m. Afterwards we finished our day with dinner at TGI Fridays.

On the second day of the conference we participated in the leadership workshop. People from different industries amongst them 2010 SPE President Behrooz Fattahi taught us about the important difference between being a leader or a manager. Then we attended the Students Luncheon were Outstanding SPE Student Chapters and the PetroBowl Winners were honored by 2016 SPE-President Nathan Meehan. After lunch we toured through the exhibition and talked to some professionals to expand the personal network but also to get some people interested in our Student Chapter and the work we are doing here in Austria. The evening featured the Young Members Reception where a lot of students together with young professionals gathered and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere in one of the ball rooms of the convention center. Later went to the beach to relax after an interesting but also exhausting day at the conference.

On the final day of the conference we decided to leave earlier to explore the city of Dubai. By using the monorail, we went to the hotel “Atlantis” which is located on the world famous Palm Island. Afterwards we went to the Burj Al Arab. This world class hotel features a great bar located on the 27^th floor. It features an amazing view over the city of Dubai.

Finally, on the 29^th of September we left Dubai in the afternoon. Our journey had finally come to an end after 4 days in this amazing city. When the plane departed from the Dubai International Airport during the sunset we got a last glimpse on the city of Dubai and it is not going to be last.

Next year the Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition is going to take place in San Antonio. We are already looking forward to it.

Opening Ceremony with 2016 SPE President D Nathan Meehan

Panel Discussion E&P 2.0: Shaping the Future

The highest building in the world: Burj Khalifa 828 metres

EAGE Conference 2016 in Vienna

From the 30^th of May to the 2^nd of June the 78^th EAGE-Conference took place in Vienna. This conference is mainly dedicated to geologists, geophysicists and reservoir engineers, but in combination with the SPE EUROPEC this event provides a great frame for all the other petroleum engineering disciplines as well. Three students from the SPE Student Chapter Leoben visited the conference. This is a short summary about their visit.

On the 30^th of May the president of the EAGE-Organisation officially opened the conference. This was followed by a panel discussion. Representatives from the industry and the head of our university Dr. Eichlseder discussed about the opportunities for young people in the current crisis. Afterwards dinner was served in the exhibition area. The day was concluded by meeting our friends from the SPE Student Chapter RWTH Aachen.

On the second day the oral sessions and poster sessions started. As usual for such a conference it is impossible to visit all of them. Therefore the following paragraphs summarize the highlights during these days.

The session about Integrated Asset Development featured a presentation about the development of the Komsomolskoye field. This field is in a remote location in Kazakhstan and requires special approaches to develop it profitably. Further information can be found via the following link: The Komsomolskoye Field-Fast Track Development of a Remote Oilfield using a Blend of Horizontal and Vertical Wells

The poster session about source rocks featured one presentation about Light Hydrocarbons Geochemistry of Oils Trapped in the Austrian Foreland Basin. This topic is directly related to the Montanuiversitaet Leoben, because the study was carried out at the chair of Petroleum Geology. An extended abstract can be found via the following link: Light Hydrocarbons Geochemistry of Oils Trapped in the Austrian Foreland Basin

One of the best oral sessions was the one which was conducted by Christian Burgstaller from RAG. His topic was about using fluid level data to optimize production. A new and innovative system which was developed by RAG together with some other companies constantly measures the fluid level in the wellbore. The generated data can then be used directly to optimize the pump that produces from the wellbore. The original paper can be found via the following link: New Approaches of Using Fluid Level Data for Production Optimization and Reservoir Engineering Applications

Besides the technical and research parts, there were also enough opportunities for social events, especially for students. The student evening which took place at the campus of the University of Economics featured some traditional Austrian delights and music to get in touch with students from around the world.

For an additional fee it was also possible to visit the official conference evening in the Marx Hall. Austrian kitchen was combined with live music and a Waltz performance.

Finally if we make an overall conclusion about this event, we can say that it was a great opportunity to gather new experiences, grow the personal network and just enjoy the atmosphere.

If you want to find out about such a conference by yourself you need to be patient until next year. The 79^thEAGE Conference & Exhibition (12-15 June 2017) is going to be in Paris.

Conference Evening — Click on the Image to Open Gallery

East meets West-Krakow at its best…

This year the 7th Edition of the famous East meets West Congress took place in Krakow. Students from all over the world followed the invitation of the AGH University of Science and Technology SPE Student Chapter. From the 20th of April to the 22nd of April all the participants were enjoying the hospitality and the great atmosphere in one of the most beautiful cities of Poland.

The journey to Krakow began on the 19th of April at 10 o’clock in the morning. 6 of us were going there by car. The rest of us arrived by plane on the same day. After successfully passing the border control in the Czech Republic and 7 hours driving we arrived at the dormitory in Krakow. After check-in we started a small city tour through the city centre of Krakow which ended in a famous polish restaurant. We ordered grilled ribs with a special honey-mustard sauce. After we finished it was time for the Ice-Breaker party. It didn’t take very long to break the ice because everybody was looking forward to meet some new people.

The next day started with the opening ceremony of the congress. A singing performance was accompanied by speeches from the organizers and university representatives. After the first coffee break, one of the congress highlights took place, a panel discussion with the topic “Managing the current economic situation in the Oil and Gas Industry”. Industry representatives and highly ranked experts gave insights and personal opinions about the reasons of the recent crisis. It was a highly interesting discussion with an overall positive message. That the oil prices are going to recover sooner or later. After lunch several different companies presented themselves to the students, such as Orlen Upstream, Ernst&Young, MOL and FMC Technologies. Before dinner we decided to explore the city of Krakow by ourselves. The day was concluded by a gala dinner where traditional polish cuisine was served.

The second day of the congress was dedicated to the student paper contest and the poster session. Students from different universities presented their research and showed the great diversity of the petroleum industry. After lunch the poster session took place. Two posters from students of the Montanuniversitaet Leoben were presented. Florian Gamperl presented his research “Drilling Rate Models for PDC Bits”. Christian Mudrak and Nicola Zivelonghi presented their research in the field of reservoir engineering with the title “Flow Behaviour Investigation of a Sandstone Reservoir”. The judges and also the other students were satisfied by the work of the presenters. Later that day we decided to go on a Segway tour to visit the Jewish Quarter of Krakow. Our guide gave us a historic overview about the development of the Jewish community in Krakow and their very sad history during the Second World War. Our day was concluded with dinner in a steak restaurant.

On the final day of the congress PhD students had the chance to present their current research. Not only technical, but also questions about socio-economic growth were raised during this session and led to some interesting discussion which even continued into the coffee break. After the coffee break, the closing and awarding ceremony was held. It was great to see when Christian Mudrak and Nicola Zivelonghi from our university received the first price in the poster competition. Finally, the congress was over but this doesn’t mean that it was time to leave. There was one more evening to be spend in Krakow. Therefore, we decided to visit an alt mine which is located a few kilometres outside of Krakow. The Wieliczka salt mine is 700 years old and it is one of the most famous mines in Europe. The route for tourists brings you to a depth of 135 metres under ground. On the way several sculptures made out of salt can be seen. One of the highlights in the mine is the underground chapel. This time we decided to have our dinner in the Hardrock Cafe of Krakow. Finally we had one more night to spent time with the wonderful people we met here.

There is this saying that departing is never easy but you have to leave to come back. Therefore, we left Krakow with new friendships, great experiences and without a doubt that we are going to come back.

We would like to thank the students of the AGH University of Science and Technology SPE Student Chapter for their hospitality and the amazing program they have prepared for us. It was a great pleasure to be able to participate in this great event and we are looking forward to be back in Krakow in 2017.

1st International Oil and Gas Majoring Students Forum

The first International Oil and Gas Majoring Students Forum “New Generation: Across the Universe” was held from February 28^th to March 6^th 2016 in the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas in Moscow. The main aim of this forum was to bring together the world’s best students studying different branches of oil and gas sciences, so they can share their knowledge and experience.

28^th of February 2016

On the 28^th of February we arrived at 14:30 at the airport in Moscow. The country greeted us with beautiful sunny weather and a little bit of snow. From there on we were brought to the dormitory by car. We finished the day with the famous Borscht, a traditional Russian soup.

29^th of February 2016

The second day of this event started with the opening ceremony at the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas. Afterwards the Schlumberger Business Case was held. In this friendly competition teams consisting of at least 4 people needed to solve a complex task regarding the production of Gas Condensates in a limited amount of time. The event took the rest of the day, and in the end the team of our German friends from RWTH Aachen won the competition. In the evening a gala dinner was held. The dinner was accompanied by some great performances of Russian students.

1^st of March 2016

This day was planned to give the students a better view on actual business problems and how the industry is going to change in the future. New technologies and the most prospective areas all over the world were introduced by world class experts. After lunch, the so called “Career Fair” was held. In this event groups of students had the opportunity to see departments of the university and listen to the latest achievements in the scientific work of universities personnel. One of the most impressive parts was the department for transportation which showed their brand new simulator for pipeline dispatching training, as well as the drilling ship simulator, which some of our students had the chance to visit last year already.

The day was concluded by the “Russian Cuisine festival”. This delicious event gave the unique opportunity to taste different foods from regions all over Russia and other countries. Afterwards it was time for some Ice skating. All the participating students were playing games, trying out ice hockey and enjoyed the great atmosphere.

2^nd of March 2016

After the wake-up call, busses brought us to the city centre of Moscow. There we visited one of Russia’s brightest buildings, the Kremlin. Inside the Kremlin it was time for some history. Local guides from the Museum explained the fascinating Russian history to all of us. The end of the day was concluded with the Miss University Contest 2016. At this event 10 beautiful ladies representing the different departments of the university were competing against each other, to crown their self in the end with the title “Queen of Oil”. Amazing artistic skills, singing and even acting performances showed the great diversity of skills that all these women have.

3^rd of March 2016

Early in the morning we packed up our suitcases and got onto the buses because it was time to go to Zaluchie. After 6 hours on the bus we arrived there and were welcomed with some traditional Russian bread. After getting comfortable with our rooms, the winter camp in Zaluchie was opened with another Russian speciality, a small cup of Vodka. Afterwards it was time for some open air activities. Sliding down a hill, pillow fight, rope pulling and dancing were accompanied by some traditional Russian Music.

4^th of March 2016

The second day in Zaluchie was used to provide us with some meaningful talks about the way to success, how to prepare a scientific paper and the technical presentation part afterwards. After enjoying some free time in the Russian winter, a wonderful performance of horse riding together with some traditional Russian winter games made this evening really unique. Finally the closing ceremony was held which marked the official end of this forum. Nevertheless in the evening the great celebration continued and the day ended with a disco night.

5^th of March 2016

Waking up was hard after enjoying such a great evening until 3 o’clock in the morning. Nevertheless the breakfast was the best reason to get up earlier. After breakfast we were waiting for the busses while enjoying the Russian winter one last time. Then we got onto the busses which brought us directly to the dormitory in Moscow.

6^th of March 2016

Our plane left at 15:35 from Moscow Domodedovo to Vienna. This was the final end of this great journey.

We would like to thank the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas for providing us with this unique opportunity. It was really amazing to see how much effort went into the preparation of this Forum. All of the volunteers were great and gave everything they had to make this event unbelievable.

Finally speaking from the heart, leaving Moscow was hard after this great experience. Nevertheless it doesn’t felt if there was something left back. It felt much more like each and every participant and Russia itself gave us something valuable which we could take back home.

This is what makes this event so special. It shows that it is not about the price of oil, it is about all of us and there is no hurdle we cannot take if we work together without any borders.

To finish this there is only one more thing to say. The idea that was started at this forum is going to spread out all over the world and not only the world, it’s going to be spread across the universe.

Visiting Oil and Gas Horizons 2015

This year the seventh Oil and Gas Horizons Congress (24.Nov 2015-26.Nov 2015) took place at Moscow’s Gubkin Russian State Oil & Gas University. The congress is entirely organized by the local SPE Student Chapter and it is the largest international youth scientific and practical event in the oil and gas industry of the Russian and Caspian region. The Office Manager of the SPE Student Chapter Leoben, Daniel Hirschl, went there as a representative. The following is the whole story about his visit.

22.November 2015

On the 22^nd of November at 10:00 Austrian Airlines flight OS601 departed from the Vienna International Airport heading towards Moscow, with me on this plane. After 2 hours and 30 minutes the plane touched down at the Domodedovo International Airport in Moscow.

There I was welcomed by my two guides who brought me and another student to the dormitory. We took the famous Moscow Metro to go there, so I already got a glimpse of what to expect from this wonderful city. After arriving and making ourselves comfortable in our rooms we were guided to the city center of Moscow to see a lot of the historic sites, such as Red Square and of course the Kremlin. After dinner we finished our journey with the beautiful view of the Moscow city Skyscrapers.

23.November 2015

On Monday the main cultural program took place. This already showed what to expect from the congress. Students from different countries were guided by volunteers through the city. So already on the second day some new friendships were established with other students.

The journey brought us to the St. Basils cathedral, the Kremlin, the famous shopping mall GUM, the Cathedral of Christ the savior and finally we got to see the Moscow City skyscrapers again. The day was concluded by a team building event in the dormitory where students showed their skills by playing charades.

24.November 2015

On Tuesday the congress started. After some good breakfast in the early morning a bus brought us to the university. After the registration the opening ceremony was held. All the participants were welcomed at the congress by representatives of the university and the local student chapter. The next part was the plenary session. Experts gave some insights on special topics e.g. “New paradigm of the Oil and Gas development”. In this presentation smart technologies for the development of hydrocarbon fields were introduced to the students. In the afternoon the student paper contest took place. In different sessions (e.g. Automation and Computer Sciences, Oil and Gas Chemistry and Ecology, Geosciences, Drilling and Completion) students presented their personal work. The day was concluded with a dinner that gave an impression of the Russian cuisine.

25.November 2015

The second day of the congress started with the presentations of the different SPE Student Chapters. All the chapters showed how much effort they put in all of their work and how they stay motivated. One of the highlights was when the delegation from the Ufa State Petroleum Technological University performed the song “Wavin Flag”.

It was a unique moment when all the people in the room started to join their performance. In the afternoon the PetroOlympic Games took place. In this special contest teams of six students have to solve some complex tasks and answer questions related to the Petroleum Industry. The two best teams are then competing against each other in a debate. Our multicultural team that had the profound name “AGGRRR” was able to participate in the debate. The team name was based on the nationalities of the team members (Austria, Germany, Germany, Russia, Russia, and Russia). This also provided me with the unique experience of participating in a team debate. The topic of debating was “Preservation of natural resources for the future than using them today”. Our team had to negate the topic. We managed to find a good way to express our view on the topic and finally we won the PetroOlympic games.

Afterwards the SPE Student Chapters Round-Table provided the unique opportunity of discussing actual topics with leaders from other Student Chapters and how to manage the upcoming challenges together.

The congress was then concluded by a wonderful closing ceremony where all the winners were announced and it also showed the creativity of the students from the Gubkin Russian State Oil & Gas University. Some marvellous songs were combined with great dances. Finally the day was closed by a youth party where all the participants had the opportunity to celebrate together with members of the organizing committee.

26.November 2015

The last day was reserved for visiting companies. Together with some other students, I went to the office of Halliburton in Moscow. They gave us a presentation about their company and how is it structured. Afterwards we heard a presentation about Halliburtons famous Landmark software. In the end they also told us about career chances in Halliburton. The size of the company allows people to work in different disciplines all around the globe. The afternoon was free for everybody. Therefore we joined a big group of students and went ice skating in the famous Gorky Park. Afterwards we used the unique atmosphere of the Moscow area for some evening activities.

27.November 2015

Finally on the last day of my visit here in Moscow I was brought to the airport and left with new friendships, experiences and a smile on my face.

I would like to thank the SPE-Student Chapter of Gubkin University for the invitation. It was such a pleasure to be able to participate in such an amazing event. The unique atmosphere could be felt in every corner of the congress. It really broadened my personal horizon, not only from a technical but also from a general point of view, because events like that prove that borders are just lines on a map.