This year, five students from the Geology and Geophysics program represented ITB as a participating team. The members are from the Geological Engineering program: Barry Majeed Hartono, Dinantina Ahyani Widyaranti, Jauhar Salsabila, and Suci Farissa Nabilah, and from the Geophysical Engineering program: Jefri Bambang Irawan. The team was mentored by Prof. Ir. Benyamin Sapiie, Ph.D.

In this competition, the participants had to analyze one of Australia’s basins, the Bight Basin. They must execute an exploration program by inputting, tabulating, and analyzing the well data. The produced analysis was used to determine the drilling prospect of each location.

The competition became an exciting opportunity for its participants to apply the knowledge learned throughout their undergraduate or postgraduate study. In addition, the competition served as a miniature of the gas industry, which will improve its participants’ insights and experience.

The winners admitted that weeks or even months of preparation were not enough to compete in this contest; instead, they have prepared for the competition since their undergraduate year. A comprehensive knowledge in geology and geophysics are necessary for this competition.

Meanwhile, the administrative preparation for this competition was as simple as reading the guide. Communication with seniors and former participants as well as professors was also crucial for preparation and document composition. According to Jauhar Salsabila Tanjung, there were several challenges that they faced to win the competition. For example, their experience in the mineral and gas industry, or their competence in some software used was inadequate. However, the role of Prof. Benyamin as a mentoring professor was a significant key to solving their problem.

The mentor’s directions were pivotal, considering his academic and industry knowledge. “Prof. Benyamin was a very supportive mentor. He spent his time helping us, even when he’s busy,” reminisced Jauhar.

This competition was exclusive to master’s students from universities worldwide, with a maximum of 5 members per team. The competition itself was held from the 17th of January 2022 until the 15-16th March 2022, which is the presentation day. Five teams from four different countries fought in this competition: Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and two from Pakistan.

Reporter: Tarisa Putri (Chemical Engineering, 2019)
Translator: Firzana Aisya (School of Life Sciences and Technology, 2021)