On May 27th, 2015, the SPE 2016 president Dr. Meehan Nathan visited COE. Prof. Dongxiao Zhang, the dean of college of engineering, welcomed him at Yannan Yuan Building #60. Prof. Zhang made an overall introduction of COE, covering the history, vision, organization, student cultivation, faculty recruitment, research status and international cooperation. It is the first time that Dr. Meehan visits Peking University. Dr. Meehan was impressed by the prestigious reputation of Peking University and wanted to have more collaboration with COE.

During the meeting, both the SPE and COE discussed more collaborations, especially in the areas of oil and natural gas, undergraduate and graduate student education, technology transfer and oil/gas industry. The meeting have laid a solid foundation for future cooperation.

After the meeting, invited by Prof. Dongxiao Zhang. Dr. Meehan Nathan gave a seminar entitled “Innovation and collaboration” at Peking University. Prof. Heng Li hosted this event.

During the seminar, Dr. Meehan started from the lower oil price. “Lower product prices means that operators will need to improve solutions to meet energy demands.” Dr. Meehan used  several examples of innovation and progress from industries to illustrate creative approaches and new solutions to difficult problems. 

Background information:

SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) is the largest individual-member organization serving managers, engineers, scientists and other professionals worldwide in the upstream segment of the oil and gas industry.

The mission of the SPE is to collect, disseminate, and exchange technical knowledge concerning the exploration, development and production of oil and gas resources, and related technologies for the public benefit; and to provide opportunities for professionals to enhance their technical and professional competence.

Dr. Nathan Meehan, 2016 Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) president, is senior executive adviser at Baker Hughes, advising executive management on reservoir and geoscience issues. Previously, he was president of CMG Petroleum Consulting, vice president of engineering for Occidental Oil & Gas; and general manager exploration and production at Union Pacific Resources.

Meehan earned a BSc in physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology, an MSc in petroleum engineering from the University of Oklahoma, and a PhD degree in Petroleum Engineering from Stanford University. He previously served as chairman of the CMG Reservoir Simulation Foundation and as director of the Computer Modelling Group, Vanyoganeft Oil Company, Pinnacle Technologies, SPE Board of Directors, and JOA Oil & Gas BV.

He served on advisory boards of the University of Texas and the University of Houston and currently serves on the EME industry relations board at Pennsylvania State, the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission and the Advisory Board of World Oil. He is the recipient of the Lester C. Uren Award for Distinguished Achievement in Petroleum Engineering and the Degolyer Distinguished Service Medal and served as a Distinguished Lecturer. He is a licensed professional engineer in four states and has published scores of papers.