Developing opportunities Melissa Stefos, who graduated in 2005 with a master’s in geology, credits her promising career as a geologist to the superb education she received at OSU as well as an internship with Devon Energy Corp., where she made a substantial discovery for the worldwide leader in coal-bed methane exploration. “My internship responsibilities included developing new lead areas and prospects for the coal-bed methane play in southeastern Oklahoma for Devon Energy,” she says. Phil Shockley “As part of my internship, I presented maps to management showing Hartshorne Coal thickness. They felt confident that it would be a good prospect and had landmen working on leaseholds the next day. It was a successful project,” says Stefos, who now works full time as a geologist for Devon. Stefos says she is proud of her employer’s continuing ties with OSU, which includes Devon Energy’s recent donation of $2.3 million to OSU for scholarship programs in geology and engineering and for a new worldclass geology laboratory in the Noble Research Center. “It is so impressive to see such a large company place a high priority on education,” Stefos says. The renovated 3,300-squarefoot Devon Energy Geology Laboratory in the Boone Pickens School of Geology will be one of the most advanced in the nation. It will include an advanced graphic station, screens, projectors and Ethernet links enabling the use of advanced technology with real-time, high-speed Internet access. In addition, two-way communication using SmartBoards between the laboratory and Devon research teams will enhance interaction between the company’s geoscientists and OSU students and faculty. “Joint projects like the Devon Laboratory are critical in our effort to prepare future geoscientists for the formidable challenges that lie ahead,” says Devon chief executive officer Larry Nichols. “Industry and teaching institutions must continue pushing the limits of technology to keep pace with the world’s growing demand for energy.” The Devon Laboratory will facilitate interaction between student recipients and Devon geoscientists working on real-world projects in the field. This unique industry-university partnership supports OSU’s collaborative and problem-solving tradition in geological studies and will sharpen students’ analytical skills. “The Devon Laboratory will make a huge impact on the Boone Pickens School of Geology at a critical time when we are developing plans to grow our faculty and our undergraduate and graduate programs,” says Peter Sherwood, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The new scholarships will help us attract the best students into our growing undergraduate program,” Sherwood says, “while the graduate fellowship program will make a substantial impact on our plans to expand the scope of our graduate program.” The Devon Laboratory will be pivotal to future developments in the school, he says. “It will provide new space that is essential because nearly two-thirds of the undergraduate courses in the School of Geology have a laboratory component. The unique partnership we will develop with Devon Energy will shape the training of our undergraduate and graduate geologists, allowing OSU to embrace new opportunities in geology education and research.” Janet Varnum qProud to be an employee of Devon Energy Corp, geology graduate Melissa Stefos credits her education at OSU and Devon Energy for her success. “The new scholarships will help us attract the best students into our growing undergraduate program.” Devon Gift Expands Geology Program College of Arts and Sciences 24
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