PETEX DONATES OVER $6.5 MILLION IN SOFTWARE TO MONTANA TECH

Montana Technological University has received a donation from Petroleum Experts for educational licenses for their geological and petroleum engineering software. The state-of-the-art software, valued at $6,564,992.43, will be licensed exclusively for teaching, tutorials, and non-commercial research primarily in the Structural Geology for Engineers and Sedimentology and Petroleum Geology courses, which cater to a diverse audience of geological, petroleum, and civil engineering students.

Montana Tech is the only university in Montana that offers geological engineering and petroleum engineering degrees. The geological engineering department offers a bachelor's degree, three master's degrees with several options, graduate and undergraduate drone certificates, and is affiliated with the Ph.D. in Earth Science and Engineering program. The department's primary focus is to prepare young professionals for geological engineering applications in various industries. To that end, geotechnical, geophysics, hydrogeology, mining, and petroleum are options students can select for their degree. The department also offers minors in geophysics and hydrogeology.

The petroleum engineering department is home to a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and a minor in petroleum engineering. The program teaches students to use mathematics, physics, and geology to address and solve critical issues that lead to energy security. The department has a 70-year history of solid career placement and some of the highest starting salaries among engineering disciplines. It is also affiliated with the Ph.D. Earth Science and Engineering program.

"We have a very proactive Earth Science and Engineering Ph.D. student, Celine Beaucamp, who identified this software as an extremely useful tool for courses she offers in our department," Department Head of Geological Engineering Glenn Shaw said. "She made the first contact with Petex. We are very grateful to Petex for offering this impressive donation, and we are positive this will help us train future engineering leaders in the geological and petroleum engineering fields."

Celine Beaucamp spent about five years in the mining industry between her master's and her Ph.D. While working, she used the software as part of her role as a mining geologist.

"Beyond teaching quality theory, it is critical for students to learn about the tools used in industry," Beaucamp said. "Petex's response about donating the software far exceeded my expectations. I am excited about the opportunity to bring a widely-used tool to the classroom. It will help students better understand my lectures' content and bring a professional aspect to the labs."

The Montana Tech Foundation helped facilitate the in-kind donation from Petex. The Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of the educational programs at the university. 

Founded in 1990, Petex, a Scotland-based company, has more than 400 clients worldwide and has been recognized as the market leader in developing petroleum engineering software products for the oil industry. For more information about Petex, visit www.petex.com.

For more information about Montana Tech, please visit www.mtech.edu.