The Changing Role of Education in the New Era of Energy

To say that the next generation of workers and leaders in our industry will be confronted by challenges unlike any we have known before is likely an understatement. For the foreseeable future, the list below provides a glimpse of what lies ahead. - An industry whose engineering and scientific foundation are still valid and necessary after 100 years but whose aversion to change has left it struggling to catch up in some areas, most notably in digital transformation (although significant progress has taken place in the past 18 months because of the pandemic) - The paradox of a world that will use fossil fuels to meet a large proportion of its energy demand for the foreseeable future while addressing the negative public and political perception of an industry tied to global climate change - Oil and gas companies morphing into “energy” companies, and petroleum engineers and geoscientists increasingly becoming known as “petrotechnical professionals” (PTPs) - The reality that petroleum engineering roles have expanded to straddle upstream, midstream, and downstream, whereas petroleum engineering programs are mostly geared to upstream and, more particularly, reservoir engineering - The replacement of Baby Boomers with Gen Zers who have an approach to work styles, life, and values generally different from the workforce they will need to lead This labyrinth of challenges, which is raising anxiety and questions about the future of petroleum engineering (PE) education, generated much interest and numerous ideas in the “Future Leaders’ Challenges and Educational Road Map” technical session at the 2021 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) in September. The papers in the session focused on what academia (and industry) can do to nurture the leaders of the future. A common thread was the need to enable students to not only sur-vive but also thrive as they transition into an evolving industry. The authors discussed issues they believe academia can control and govern—i.e., upgrading education and restructuring academic units—and issues such as demand changes, oil prices, and world politics that are beyond academia’s control. They also expressed agreement that certain elements within teaching and learning practices need periodic modifications—and sometimes serious paradigm shifts or even radical changes. Trends: What’s New (or Not) Paper SPE 205964 asked a rhetorical question, “Is it the end of an era or a new start?” Tayfun Babadagli, professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Alberta, pointed out that beginning with the first publication of an article on PE education in 1937, periodic reviews and evaluations—generally corresponding to industry downturns and drops in enrollment—have questioned whether PE programs should be removed from universities or restructured, depending on local conditions and industry needs. Following the 2014 crisis and a sharp decline in PE enrollments, several SPE papers suggested modernization options and changes in education that included options for local needs in certain geographic areas, field-based education, use of visual tools, and information technologies for smart wells and fields at a graduate (MSc) level. Inclusion of training in geothermal engineering was suggested in 2015. In the past couple of years, digital information sciences and new applications of PE sciences and subsurface storage and groundwater hydrology have been suggested.

Preface

Considering the current situation of COVID-19 and travel restrictions, the 3rd International Conference on Industrial Applications of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (BDAI 2021) which was planned to be held in Wuhan. China from Sept. 23 to 25, 2021 was changed into virtual conference on Sept. 24, 2021 via Tencent Meeting (Voov) software. BDAI 2021 was organized by China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), sponsored by Hong Kong Society of Mechanical Engineers (HKSME). The Technical Program committee received a total of 38 paper submissions from all over the world, among which 20 papers were accepted, and more than 30 participants attended the conference online, they were from China, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Japan, UK and more. Four renowned speakers given speeches about their latest research and reports. They are: Prof. Dan Zhang from York University, Canada; Prof. Lefei Zhang from Wuhan University. China: Prof. Deze Zeng from China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), China and Assoc. Prof. Simon James Fong from University of Macau. Macau S.A.R., China. The conference also had 1 technical session and 1 poster sessions. This conference aims to provide a platform for researchers and engineers to share their ideas, recent developments, and successful practices in energy engineering. The participants of the conference were from almost every part of the world, with various background such as academia, industry, and well-known entrepreneurs. Each keynote speech lasted 40 minutes, and authors presentation 15 minutes. Each presentation was included with questions and answers. BDAI 2021 became an effective communication platform for all the participants over the world and unlike some that claim international reach this conference was truly international. The conference proceeding is a compilation of the accepted papers and represent an interesting outcome of the conference. This book covers 3 chapters: 1. Artificial Intelligence: 2. Big Data Technology; 3. Robot System. We would like to acknowledge all of those who supported BDAI 2021. Each individual and institutional help were very important for the success of this conference. Especially we would like to thank the committee chairs, committee members and reviewers, for their tremendous contribution in conference organization and peer review of the papers. We sincerely hope that BDAI 2021 will be a fomrn for excellent discussions that will put forward new ideas and promote collaborative research and support researchers as they take their work forward. We are sure that the proceedings will serve as an important research source of references and the knowledge, which will lead to not only scientific and engineering progress but also other new products and processes. Dan Zhang, York University, Canada

A National Web Conference on Integrated Siddha Approach in Clinical Practice and Research on COVID-19 Pandemic (ISACC)- Tirupati, December 2020

Siddha Clinical Research Unit (SCRU) Tirupati, working under the Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS), Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India, conducted a National Web conference titled “Integrated Siddha Approach in Clinical Practice and Research on COVID-19 Pandemic (ISACC)” on 23^rd Dec 2020, as a part of the fourth Pre-Siddha Day observance. Totally, 256 participants from Siddha colleges and various institutes of CCRS attended the Web conference and 9 eminent Speakers share their knowledge at the conference. The Technical session was separated by three panels, (i)Siddha Standalone and Integrative Clinical trials on COVID-19, (ii)Siddha Preventive and Prophylactic Measures on COVID-19, (iii)Experiences in Siddha Integrative Clinical Practice on COVID-19. The take home message of the conference insisted upon the three facts - the need for more clinical trials , need for increased experience sharing platforms for Siddha medical system and finally that Siddha standalone as well as integration for COVID-19 management gave significant outcome in both preventive and promotive healthcare. Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS), Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India and Directorate of Indian Medicine and Homeopathy (DIM&H), Government of Tamil Nadu, contributed a lot in Research and services in COVID-19 pandemic.

Successful Initiation of Hybrid Closed-Loop System Using Virtual Pump Training Program in a Teenager With Type 1 Diabetes Previously Treated with Multiple Daily Injections

Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 restrictions in providing diabetes services, we have developed an innovative pump training program, which consisted of technical session, pump training, one in-person practical session, and four consecutive online sessions (Skype Meet Now). A 13-year-old female patient with a 4-year history of type 1 diabetes (T1D) on multiple daily injections (MDI) with glycated hemoglobin 8.9%; 74 mmol/mol) initiated Minimed 670G system using the program. Time in range (70-180 mg/dL) of 39% and sensor glucose (SG) of 214±91 mg/dL (MDI with continuous glucose monitoring) increased to 69% in the first 2 weeks and reached 86% and SG of 140±40 mg/dL in the first month of auto mode initiation, without severe hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. Virtual pump training program can be an effective tool to initiate a hybrid closed-loop system and to improve glycemic control in people with T1D on MDI.