Enterprising students studying oil and gas related subjects have been awarded £20,000 in bursaries.
More than £100,000 of financial support has been handed out to more than 100 students in the last 10 years as part of the Aberdeen section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ (SPE) support programme.
This year almost 100 students applied for an award, with 20 winners selected to receive a grant.
Five bursaries of £2500 and 15 bursaries of £500 were awarded to students from the University of Aberdeen, Robert Gordon University, University of Dundee and Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh.
The students are currently undertaking oil and gas related degrees at various levels, from undergraduate to PhD.
Each applicant was judged on the quality of their academic work, their intent to embark upon a career in the oil and gas industry and their active involvement with SPE.
Out of the 20 finalists, 12 were invited to attend an interview panel to compete for the five £2500 bursaries.
Judge Alan Dick, vice president at Simmons & Co, said: “We’re presented with a challenge every year to select the highest performing candidates, and this year was no different with an extremely high quality of applications.
“Judging these entries is an inspiring process to go through – the whole panel were very encouraged by the work ethic, innovative thinking and presentation skills of each of the candidates. We wish all of the winners the very best in their future careers.”
The five students who won the £2,500 bursaries are Balogun Yakubu, Robert Lawrie, Mark Lakos, Douglas Gourlay and Paul Robb.
The students were presented with their awards at a ceremony at Robert Gordon University.
Ian Phillips, chairman of SPE Aberdeen said: “Our student bursary programme was set up to help high calibre graduates achieve their career goals, and the return on the investment we make ensures these future leaders develop the leadership and innovation skills required for our future sustainability.
“The last couple of years have been an extremely challenging time for the industry, and external factors have sadly forced some businesses to reduce this type of support for students. We are extremely proud that we have been able to continue running our student bursary programme throughout the downturn, ploughing our modest surplus funds back into the future of the industry.”
