Oil and gas companies, universities, consulting companies, and delegations participated in two days of insightful presentations, panels, spirited debates, and superb networking at the 2017 Houston Data Management Symposium and Tradeshow. Organized by the Professional Petroleum Data Management (PPDM) Association, the event was held at the Marriott Westchase Houston, Texas on February 28-March 1, 2017.
Dr. Medhat El Nahas, instructional assistant professor (University of Houston), Dr. Tim Coburn (University of Tulsa), Paloma Urbano (ConocoPhillips), and Jeremy Eade (BP) participated in a panel discussion moderated by Jennifer Bell (Elements Offshore). Topics ranged from the knowledge and technical skills needed by today’s data managers to the need for ongoing professional development, certification programs and the importance of industry engagement in preparing the next generation for roles in data management and analytics.
Anticipating that data management will increasingly emerge as a distinct discipline, panelists discussed ways to make programs more attractive and improve the curriculum by incorporating elements of business management, engineering, and information technology. In addition to early exposure to data management, experts also discussed ways to incorporate data management elements into existing programs, and the advantages of offering certificate courses targeted to the oil and gas industry professionals.
“The industry will benefit greatly from renewed interests in data analytics and data science,” said Dr. El Nehas. “Upon recovery of the oil and gas industry, the engineering technology program in the College of Technology will be uniquely positioned to offer certificate courses such as data management and process safety to train newly hired professionals. It is win-win relationship,” added Dr. El Nahas.