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Objective
SPE coordinates 14 regional student paper contests at the Undergraduate, Master's, and PhD level. Students compete against other students from their region for the opportunity to advance to the International Student Paper Contest, held during the Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE).
The following role is available for volunteers for the Gulf Coast Regional Student Paper Contest:
- Presentation Judges (Undergraduate, Masters and PhD division)
- Judges will need to be physically present at the University of Houston, in Houston, Texas* on Saturday 6 April 2019 to listen to, and judge the presentations by the finalists from the Abstract phase. The winner of each division will attend the International Competition at the 2019 ATCE in Calgary, Canada.
We are currently seeking a minimum of nine judges (three in each division) to meet the minimum requirements needed to run the program.
Competition Overview
The Gulf Coast Regional Student Paper Contest is organized to provide SPE Student Members residing in the Gulf Coast Region the opportunity to present original ideas pertaining to the Petroleum Industry. The competition is open to any SPE Student Member in the region, including but not limited to members at the following institutions: Houston Community College, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Instituto Tecnologico De Cerro Azul, Instituto Tecnologico Superior De Coatzacoalcos, Instituto Tecnologico Superior De Poza Rica, Prairie View A&M University, Rice University, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University, Kingsville, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Universidad Autonoma De Nuevo Leon, Universidad Autonoma Del Carmen, Universidad Nacional Autonoma De Mexico, Universidad Politecnica Del Golfo De Mexico, Universidad Veracruzana, Poza Rica, University of Houston.
Students will compete in three divisions: Undergraduate, Masters, and PhD. There must be a minimum of three contestants in order for a division to take place, and in the absence of enough participates the Masters and PhD divisions may be combined. Students will have a total of 20 minutes to present and 10 minutes for questions from the judges.
The competition is scheduled to take place on Saturday 6 April 2019 at the University of Houston, in Houston, Texas from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Eligibility
SPC volunteers must be:
- Approved by the SPE Staff responsible for the organization of the contest
- An SPE member in good standing (renewed membership for 2019)
- Judges must hold a minimum of the corresponding degree for the division in which they will be judging
- Example: if you’re judging the PhD division, you must also hold a PhD
- Judges must be physically present for the competition in Houston Texas on 6 April 2019*
- Preferred previous experience in:
- Similar style contests
- Presenting at SPE Conferences
- Program selection committees for SPE Conferences
- Post-Secondary Faculty Member
- Personal interest in developing university students
- Effective communicator
Expectations
Regional Competition Judge Expectations:
- Participate on the day of the contest to observe the presentations and score the students based on the criteria provided
- The Regional Finals are being held at the University of Houston in Houston, Texas on Saturday 6 April 2019*
- Ask any questions of the student following the presentation
- Discuss any tie-breaker situations with the other judges to agree on a winner
- Provide students with feedback to assist them with the continuous development of their presentation skills
- Participate in debriefing session(s) as requested following the contest
Time Commitment
Student Paper Contests typically run from 08:00 to 17:00 with lunch provided to all volunteers and contestants.
*Note: Judges will be expected to fund their own travel and accommodation in order to participate