Petroleum

Petroleum engineers work in the exploration, recovery, development and processing of oil and gas. Petroleum engineers are involved in such things as determining the best location for drilling new wells, operating oil and gas facilities, and monitoring and forecasting reservoir performance.

Examples: 

Petroleum engineers plan and manage the recovery of oil and gas from petroleum reservoirs.

A petroleum engineer may:

  • Design and oversee the development of an oil well
  • Determine how to build a pipeline which will move natural gas from Alberta to markets in other parts of Canada and the US
  • Figure out how to clean-up oil spills and other potential environmental contamination caused by extracting oil and gas from the Earth
In your community: 

A number of Aboriginal communities lie near existing or untapped oil and gas reserves. As land claims settlements are reached, the communities in the areas will require the expertise of petroleum engineers in order to evaluate what to do with the reserves.

Aptitude: 

If you like...

  • Problem solving
  • Being creative
  • Exploring the Earth
  • Making discoveries
  • Working with people
  • Helping the environment

...you might enjoy Petroleum Engineering

Universities: 

If you want to study Petroleum Engineering you can go to the following universities:

We're always looking for more role models. Do you know an Aboriginal Engineer or scientist who should be featured here? Please let us know.