Montana Tech team competes at North America PetroBowl Championship

Team photo by Mason Dineen. From left to right: Cody Bydalek, Matt Schlechten, Maame Boaduwaa Kwakye-Tannor, Shaena Jackson, Noel Dapilee, Umaer Zaki, and Connor Chalmers.  

Five Montana Technological University students recently traveled to the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) North America Student Symposium, held February 20-22, 2025 at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where they competed in the North America PetroBowl Championship.

Photo by Assistant Professor Foued Badrouchi

Participating students included graduate students Noel Dapilee, Umaer Zaki, and Maame Boaduwaa Kwakye-Tannor, as well as undergraduate students Shaena Jackson and Matt Schlechten. The team was assisted in their preparation for the bowl by fellow students Cody Bydalek and Connor Chalmers. The team was coached by Assistant Professor Foued Badrouchi.

Photo by Assistant Professor Foued Badrouchi

"I'm incredibly proud of our Montana Tech students for their dedication and hard work in preparing for PetroBowl,” Badrouchi said. “Competing on this stage has made our name more visible in the petroleum engineering community, and we’re ready to come back even stronger next year.”

After competing virtually during the pandemic, Montana Tech’s team returned to in-person competition this year. After a win and a loss, Montana Tech was unfortunately out of contention for the title, but they proved to be among the well-prepared teams and successfully redeemed their position.

“We did really well this year with Dr. Badrouchi's guidance, and lost to Missouri University of Science and Technology, who placed second,” Jackson said. “It wasn't too sour of a loss.”

In addition to competing in the PetroBowl, students attended technical sessions where they networked with other students, colleges, academics, professionals, and employers of interest.

“Having the event in-person made it really easy to network with other students,” Jackson said.

Students who have an interest in petroleum engineering can learn more about joining the SPE student chapter here. Montana Tech is the only university in the state that offers a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering. The University also offers a master’s degree in petroleum engineering.