It could have been a data room – teams crowded around monitors examining information.

It was actually groups of high school students pretending to be oil finders.

The first US PetroChallenge, held at the College of Technology at the University of Houston in January, was a two-day simulation competition using software created by Simprentis, a UK software development company, and the Oil and Gas Academy. The simulation software is used throughout Europe to train non-technical employees in the petroleum industry, university students, and high school engineering and geoscience students.

Each student team forms a petroleum exploration company sent on a virtual mission to remote islands that have invited companies to begin exploration. They’re given a $200 million budget to find hydrocarbons in commercial quantities. They learn basic geology and form strategic partnerships with other teams to drill exploration and appraisal wells.

Tasks included finding basins by using gravity and magnetics; prospecting by using 2-D seismic, common risk segment maps, and spawning ground maps; partnering using 2-D and 3-D maps; ordering rigs from a catalog of available equipment; selecting services by consulting a provider track record; and selecting a drilling location by using 3-D seismic and environmental impact assessment surveys.

The teams, comprised of students from different schools, must learn to budget wisely and weigh the pros and cons of buying additional data at each step. They were graded according to their ultimate rate of return (ROR) and on “knowledge points” accumulated during the simulation.

The high school PetroChallenge involved students from three energy academies formed by the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) at Milby, Lamar, and Westside high schools in Houston. The university-level PetroChallenge teams comprised students from different colleges.

Taking home the honors this year at the high school event was “EnginenerdZ” with a 2,124% ROR. The university event was won by “The Red Mosquitos,” with an ROR of 2,160%.

One high school student arrived at the second day of the event wearing a coat and tie and announcing he was “ready to go to work.” When his team made a discovery, he exclaimed, “This tie is good luck!”

The college event was coordinated by Jack Christiansen, director of the Petroleum Technology Institute Initiative at the University of Houston. Sponsors for the high school event included IPAA, the Houston Producers Forum, El Paso Corp., and the Petroleum Equipment Suppliers Association.

Christiansen spent years in the oil and gas industry and considers PetroChallenge a great opportunity not only for students but for potential employers as well. “It’s rare to view students working together in cooperation on a tight timeline,” he said. “It gives us an opportunity to see how they work in a team under pressure.” He’s also thrilled to have so many high school students on campus, students who might consider the College of Technology once they graduate.

For the students it’s like Sim City for the oil industry. And it’s a way to show them that what they’re learning in the classroom has real-life application.

“It’s the perfect vehicle to reinforce curriculum being taught in our energy academies,” said Doris Richardson, director of the IPAA Education Center and organizer of the high school competition. “It provides our students with an opportunity to integrate classroom curricula, understand and solve complex industry challenges, and collaborate as a team.”

Several volunteers from industry were present to help the students, and more are interested. Patrick Friend, a senior geologist with Maersk Oil, was on hand with an eye toward sponsoring the next event. “It’s raising awareness about the oil industry as a potential employer,” he said. “That’s badly needed.”