Romanian Section

Members of the SPE student chapters from the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiești and the University of Bucharest had the privilege of participating in a student exchange program with Montanuniveristät Leoben.

After being welcomed by SPE Student Chapter Leoben representatives, the students began their 3-day trip by first participating in a tour of OMV’s headquarters in Vienna, where Alexander Gerstner, OMV Austria E&P Gmbh Chairperson, held a short presentation about the company’s history, domestic activities and future development projects.

The second day in Leoben debuted with a visit to the Petroleum Engineering Department (DPE) of Montanuniversität, where students were greeted by the head of DPE, Dr. Gerhard Thonhauser. The group visited several classrooms and laboratories and learned about the opportunity of studying Petroleum Engineering at Montanuniveristät Leoben.

Later that day the students met their colleagues from the Montanuniveristät Leoben Chapter. They presented their Chapter’s achievements and goals through their president, Ines Smaoui, and our students presented to them both the Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiești and University of Bucharest Chapters, through their representatives: Tudor Cătănoiu and Monica Stancu.

Right after the presentation, they reserved some time for an intercultural meeting, where they shared some traditional Romanian cuisine with everyone present. They ended the day with a well-earned visit to the local Gösser brewery, one of the largest and most well known in Austria.


The third and final day in Austria concluded with a visit at OPEC in Vienna. Students were welcomed by their Public Relations Specialist, which gave them a very precise and attractive presentation about the organization and OPEC’s main purpose.


This event had an important impact on the SPE Romanian Section and SPE Student Chapter Leoben's relationship and knowledge, being a solemn experience for the student’s future engineering career.