The University of Louisiana Department of Petroleum Engineering's quiz bowl team has earned a trip to Dubai, the United Emirates, thanks to a strong showing in recent international competition.


The University's PETE team will compete at next year's PetroBowl Championship. The tournament will be held Sept. 26-28, at the Dubai World Trade Center, during the Society of Professional Engineers' Technical Conference and Exhibition.


UL team members are: Stephen Au, a junior from Monterey Park, Calif.; Joseph Kravets, a senior from Staten Island, N.Y.; Gavin Parria, a graduate student from Marrero, La.; Jonathan Snyder, a senior from Reading, Pa.; and Garrett Thibodeaux, a senior from Houma, La. Dr. Abdenour Seibi, an associate professor of petroleum engineering, is the team's adviser.


PetroBowl tournaments match student teams from different colleges against each other. Contestants answer questions related to petroleum engineering.


This year, 103 teams from 28 countries competed in regional qualifier tournaments held throughout the world. The contests took place in Norman, Okla.; Manama, Bahrain; Warri, Nigeria; London, U.K.; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.


Thirty-six of those teams advanced to the world championship in Houston. The University's PETE team advanced to the Elite Eight round. It finished among the top four teams, and qualified for next year's PetroBowl Championship.


The final eight teams at the world championship also included: Delft University of Technology (Netherlands); Federal University of Technology (Nigeria); Industrial University of Santander (Colombia); the National Autonomous University of Mexico; the University of Oklahoma; Trisakti University (Indonesia), and the University of Texas.


Learn more about PetroBowl competition at http://www.spe.org/students/petrobowl/




Photo info: The UL Department of Petroleum Engineering's quiz bowl team has earned a trip to Dubai, the United Emirates, thanks to a strong showing in recent international competition. Team members, from left, are:_ Gavin Parria, Joseph Kravets, Garrett Thibodeaux, Stephen Au and Jonathan Snyder

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