PRESS RELEASE

October 2010

University of Oklahoma officials announces on October 15 a software gift valued at $1 million from Blueback Reservoir, an independent global provider of 3D modeling solutions and services.

The gift will provide students, faculty and researchers at the ConocoPhillips School of Geology and Geophysics access to exploration and geologic modeling software used by global oil and gas companies.

“Blueback Reservoir’s gift exemplifies its dedication to the oil and gas industry and students in the ConocoPhillips School of Geology and Geophysics by its support of the university’s efforts as a national leader in energy education and research,” Brad Wallet said. “This gift will provide our faculty and students with important tools to enhance their academic studies and help them fulfill their educational and research goals by providing them with access to the same tools and capabilities available to oil industry professionals.”

The gift to the ConocoPhillips School of Geology and Geophysics is Blueback’s Toolbox Suite for Petrel™. The University of Oklahoma established the first petroleum geology program in the nation. The school currently has more than 120 undergraduate majors and 100 graduate students in geology and geophysics. While their interests are diverse, ranging from crustal seismology to climate change, the majority of graduates pursue careers in the oil and gas industry.

“An important feature of this gift by Blueback Reservoir is its focus on undergraduate education regarding oil and gas reservoirs,” said Kurt Marfurt, OU professor of geophysics. “Undergraduate students will have an opportunity to experience an educational environment usually reserved for graduate students, exposing them to advanced contemporary engineering practice.”

In addition to the teaching component, software also will be used collaboratively across several OU departments, including petroleum engineering, chemical engineering, geology and geophysics, and mathematics.

Blueback Reservoir donated the software to OU as part of an effort to increase industry-standard geology and geophysics software knowledge for students. This preparation is designed to broaden the skill sets of university geoscience and petroleum engineering graduates, giving them an advantage in the job market.

Blueback Reservoir is a smaller firm focusing on 3D geologic modeling services and software.  In addition to providing geologic modeling services to the industry, Blueback Reservoir also offers commercial software, plug-ins, for Petrel™ and provides custom plug-in development to the oil and gas industry.

Petrel is a trademark of Schlumberger