With students flowing in and out of the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center during the annual Earth, Energy, and Environment Student Exhibition, Holly McDaniel Evans ’04 couldn’t wait to speak to individuals or groups.
Evans, who is a Completions Engineer with Advanced Resources, was one of about 50 people representing the energy industry on Friday.
“This wasn’t around when I was a student,” she said. “I especially think something like this is important because these days, with our industry being the bad guys, a lot of students are scared to get into the industry. So, it’s good to talk to them about what is actually going on and to let them know there still is a future.”
Paige Sefsick ’24 (Adena, Ohio), who helped organize the event, will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering. She was impressed with what she witnessed.
“It’s awesome to be a part of something this big, and it’s very diverse. All these companies are here for not only petroleum but for environmental engineering,” Sefsick said. “Everyone is looking for opportunities. It’s a great place to come and explore what the future could be.”
Evans believes that future is wide open.
“Even in the energy transition, the skills that you get as a petroleum engineer will translate into geothermal and CCS (carbon, capture and storage),” Evans said. “I think to get that message out, and selfishly, we’ve hired several students from Marietta, and we try to get interns from here. I collect a few resumes while I’m here.”
She even shared a good example.
“To access geothermal energy, you will still need to drill a well, and you’ll need to orient that well. You need that technology to be able to drill that deep and handle that formation,” Evans said.
Evans also shared why she likes hiring Marietta graduates for internships and full-time jobs.
“With Marietta being a liberal arts college, you get some of those soft skills that engineers often don’t have,” she said. “At Marietta, you learn communication, how to debate — and all those things are important.”
Derrick Pottmeyer ’05, a Production Superintendent at Southwestern Energy, was attending the event for the first time.
“It’s extremely impressive that the students have initiated this whole program,” he said. “I think it’s great. It’s a great way to get vendors and employers on-site. Very smart thing for them to do to try to establish contacts in the industry.”
The E3 Student Exhibition was founded in 2017 by a group of students who wanted to host companies and organizations in person for Marietta students to learn more about the energy industry.
The exposition, which featured 21 companies, started at 9:00 a.m. and concluded with lunch at noon and then guest speakers at 12:30 p.m. More than 150 students attended.
“Over the past few years, the main goal of the event has been to bring in members of the industry to connect them with members of the Marietta College community,” said Perry Gasper ’24 (Woodbridge, Virginia). “Likewise, it’s an opportunity to connect us with the industry. I think that is important so we can learn more about the industry and what companies are doing, so we can be better informed. It’s also good to do some networking.”
Gasper completed an internship with BP last summer and will join the company full-time after graduation in Denver, Colorado.
All the student organizers, including George Fazah ’24 (Hboub, Lebanon) and Anthony Jaeger ’24 (St. Clairsville, Ohio), were thankful for the support they received on campus and from the vendors and employers who attended the event.
“It’s nice because everyone wanted to give back to us,” Sefsick said.