MESSAGE FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD
Greetings! I hope this newsletter finds you happy and healthy in these continued interesting times. We are starting to see things return a little bit to normal on campus, but I know that’s not that case everywhere. I hope that wherever you currently sit around the globe, you and yours are doing well. I’m also not really sure if we know what “normal” is going to be here at Mines – as with so much around the world, the pandemic has definitely impacted our operations and how we approach things – but we will continue to thrive no matter what!
In Fall 2020, we in PE (and Mines in general) ran about 50% of our courses either in-per - son or in a hybrid mode with both in-person and virtual components. This past spring, we upped that number to around ~70%. Of course, this all came with some challenges, but overall, Mines did a great job with managing such and our students benefited from it. I am very proud to say that we were able to run our field sessions in May 2021 completely in-per - son! This was no small feat, and I just want to give some kudos to the multiple people that it took to make this happen, and to our PE students for having the patience to deal with the additional steps that we had to take. We will be returning to 100% in-person classes this fall (minus courses that are actually designed to be fully online), and I think I can speak for the entire faculty when I say that we are eager to get back into the physical classroom!
The past year has brought some changes in our faculty ranks. Dr. Bill Eustes retired from Mines in December 2020 after 26 years of teaching in the PE department. He is greatly missed, but he has not gone far (Conifer, Colorado) and graciously allows us to call him up and task him with some special projects (SEVERAL special projects!). Dr. Jorge Sampaio also decided to retire in May 2021 after six years with the department. He is also staying in contact with us, but from a slightly farther distance, as he has retired to Australia to be closer to family. If you are keeping track, you’ll realize that the de - parture of these two gentlemen left a fairly sized gap in our drilling and completions faculty ranks. Therefore, I am pleased to announce the arrival of our newest Mines’ PE faculty, Tim Sorensen, who has been hired as a Professor of Practice to handle our drilling courses starting this fall. Tim is a proud Mines’ graduate, and we are very happy to have him back home in Golden!
Teaching was challenging this past year with the various COVID protocols in place, but our faculty stepped up to the challenge while continu - ing to do all of the other things that make them extraordinary. We have several new research initiatives that have or are kicking off including projects in geothermal, methane emissions, foam EOR, CCUS and cryogenic injection, just to name a few. Work always continues in our fun - damental PE areas, but as you can see from this list, we are expanding our research portfolio to address some innovative areas that fit right into our areas of expertise. We are very happy to announce one specific project that will be one of the largest funded projects ever in our department (around $4.8MM) in the area of geothermal at the Utah FORGE project ( utahforge.com ). Stay tuned for more information there and on all of our research programs in our various social media outlets.
Perhaps the most exciting thing that we get to bring to your attention in this newsletter is – drum roll please – the Mines Petroleum Engi - neering Department will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2022!! Yes, your very own PE department will be celebrating its centennial birthday starting on January 1, 2022. As behooves such an occasion, we are planning several special events throughout the calendar year, so pleased stay tuned for announcements about such and a calendar of events which will be posted on our department’s website ( petroleum. mines.edu ) and on our social media platforms. One item that you can go ahead and put on your calendar is the annual alumni reception that will be held in conjunction with the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, which just happens to be back in Houston on October 3-5, 2022. More details to follow on that and all of our 100th anniversary events!
Speaking of SPE ATCE, you probably know that this year’s (2021) is in Dubai, UAE, from September 21-23. We have chosen not to have a formal alumni event in Dubai this year due to the continued travel restrictions so many are facing. However, some of Mines’ faculty and staff, includ - ing myself, and a small group of students do plan on attending. So, if you are there, please look us up – we’d love to see you!
I sincerely hope that the past year has been a positive one for you and your families. I know that 2020-2021 has had more challenges than most of us ever dreamed of, but please know that we are thinking about you and hoping that all of our alumni are doing well. As always, drop us a note via whatever your preferred means is – we love hearing from you!! And definitely hope to see you on campus, at a conference, or somewhere sometime soon!
Go Orediggers! Jennifer
PETROLEUM .MINES. EDU
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https://petroleum.mines.edu/