As a newcomer to the oil and gas industry, without a formal technical background, personal education is of the utmost importance. A vital 
part of any educational experience is hands-on learning, like seeing equipment up close and connecting its role to the bigger picture. These hands-on opportunities are often unavailable, leaving non-technical industry members like me and the general public, unaware of the science and technological advances that drive the industry forward.
Fortunately, the Ohio River Valley hosts an insightful opportunity to do just that at the Marietta College Oil & Gas Technical Exhibition (MCOGTE), a collaborative event made possible by the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Energy Business Alliance and the American Association of Drilling Engineers.
On November 9th, I had the pleasure of attending the 2nd annual MCOGTE and meeting some of the petroleum engineering students responsible for the planning and implementation of the day-long event. The expo brought in around 50 oil and gas industry contractors and suppliers to exhibit equipment so that other students, the community, and non-technical industry members, like myself, could learn from these hands-on products and technologies.
Prior to the official opening of the exhibit hall, I made sure to attend the ‘Oil & Gas 101’ course presented by some of the petroleum engineering students who have created their own program, called Oilfield Basics. This mini-course presented an explanation of technical terms that I’ve often heard about on the job and connected it to the equipment I would be seeing later on the expo floor.
The free event provided equipment that I could not only view but to touch, too. I was able to see the equipment used “in the field” such as drill bits, perforating guns, casing, and even a virtual reality “snubbing simulator”. The parking lot outside of the conference hall also featured large equipment including a hydraulic fracturing control station, complete with advanced equipment and computer monitors, that are used to safely monitor the operations at the job site.
To top it all off, we all go a free BBQ lunch while listening to a keynote speaker, Jeff Moss, Technical Advisor of Drilling for SPE Global and an Advisor for ExxonMobil. Moss talked about his experiences in the energy industry and all of the exciting sciences and technologies that he sees on the horizon.
David McCabe, class of 2019 and MCOGTE Chair, said:
“The event is designed to teach everyone — from community members to industry professionals — about different aspects of the
oil and gas industry”
If you have the opportunity to attend the MCOGTE in the future, I highly recommend it to people who would like to learn more about the industry, whether you’re a student, community member or non-technical industry professional, like me.
If you own or work for a company that supplies goods and services to the industry, I recommend that you add exhibiting at the MCOGTE to your agenda. The expo does a wonderful job to help educate the public and showcase equipment involved in extracting oil and gas efficiently and responsibly to help power our lives – each and every day.
Read more about the MCOGTE 2018 here and from local news coverage here.
