Â鶹ÊÓƵ

Center for Midstream Management and Science

2024 Midstream Essay Contest Winners Named

Â鶹ÊÓƵ's Center for Midstream Management and Science (CMMS) and Howard Energy Partners (HEP) are pleased to announce the winners of the second annual CMMS Midstream Essay Contest. The essay assignment was Aging Infrastructure in the Midstream Industry, and it was open to all undergraduate and graduate students at all 34 4-year, public universities in Texas. The essay competition generally sought the perspective of students engaged in degree programs in the colleges of Business, Engineering, and Arts & Sciences, but all students in all disciplines were encouraged to submit an essay. Topics were wide open, including but not limited to, corporate finance and structure, capital markets, engineering, operations regulation, ESG, and human capital.

Generally, the midstream industry gathers, processes, fractionates, transports via pipelines, and stores oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and NGL fractionated products such as propane, ethane, and butane. The midstream industry ultimately collects raw hydrocarbons from oil and gas fields (upstream) and delivers them to consumers, including refiners, petrochemical plants, heavy industry, and retail or residential consumers (downstream). The broad listing of degree programs and essay topics was designed to not only expose students of many degree programs and interests to the midstream industry but also to find and highlight unique perspectives from tomorrow's leaders.  

The 2024 winners of the CMMS Midstream Essay Contest are: 

First Place

drake wells

Drake Wells

BSc Petroleum Engineering
Texas A&M University at College Station

"Securing the Lifelines of Energy: Enhancing Safety in America's Aging Midstream Oil and Gas Infrastructure"

Second Place

lindsayr

Lindsay Ross

MBA - Environment Management
University of Houston at Clearlake

"Aging Infrastructure: An Opportunity to Reestablish Public Trust and Secure Support for the Midstream Industry"

Third Place

Sam Norwood

J. Sam Norwood

BSc Petroleum Engineering
Texas A&M University at College Station

"PHMSA’s Mega Rule: How New Regulations Can be Hard on Some, but Great for Midstream Overall"

The winners will receive a Certificate of Achievement and a cash prize of $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000 for first place, second place, and third place, respectively. Thomas Kalb, Director of CMMS, said "We were pleased with the participation in our second annual midstream essay contest and are honored and extremely appreciative of Howard Energy Partners support and sponsorship of this essay competition. “This essay contest is an excellent opportunity for college students to learn more about the midstream energy business and risk management,” said Brandon Burch, EVP and Chief Operating Officer for Howard Energy Partners. “The thoughtful and engaging submissions gives me hope that our energy future is in good hands and will be delivered in the safest, most reliable way.  We appreciate our partnership with Â鶹ÊÓƵ and look forward to supporting these efforts in the future.”