University of Wyoming seniors Dayton Reese, Monty Hughes, Eli Vigil and Kieran McMullen of the School of Energy Resources (SER) traveled to Houston, TX, to attend the 2023 North American Petroleum Expo Summit (NAPE).
NAPE Summit is an expo and conference focused on networking that brings domestic and international decision-makers together to forge and facilitate close deals.
“The NAPE summit happens once a year. Different industries come together to gain a position primarily in the oil and gas industry and to be able to package that and sell it off,” Vigil said.
“They’ve recently decided to bring university students in and try to create networking events for them and help students meet the industry.”
Reese, Hughes, Vigil and McMullen had the opportunity to table at NAPE for UW to bring awareness to the Professional Land Management Program that Wyoming offers.
“All four of us are receiving a Bachelor of Science in Energy Resource Management Development, with a concentration in Professional Land Management, so this was an important opportunity for us to showcase what UW offers in this field,” McMullen said.
“It also gave us a chance to show off the Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage certificate the school of SER is doing.”
The SER offers a Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage certificate both in-person and online to help get students more involved in the SER programs at UW.
“It was great to get out and talk about the certificate we’re offering and drumming up interest in people. We had a ton of super interested people because that is specifically what the industry is pushing for,” Hughes said.
“It’s nice to get oil and gas industry professionals interested in Wyoming because, obviously, there are not many people at UW compared to other universities. We had something else to offer and show to the professionals.”
Reese, Hughes, Vigil and McMullen had the opportunity to table at NAPE and meet Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, who was at the event to speak about the future of energy in Wyoming.
“It’s pretty unique to be coming from the University of Wyoming and then hear the Wyoming Governor speak down in Houston. It creates a great atmosphere and shows the great community that Wyoming fosters,” Vigil said.
The summit allowed all four seniors to connect with industry professionals and help make UW programs known.
“Oil and gas is a large industry that helps different industries worldwide. Wyoming is unique, and the SER has a class of about 50 students, and it’s split 50-50 between our two concentrations,” Reese said.
“The reason it’s unique is that it creates this community atmosphere where we get to know each other and connect on a more personal level.”
