Student chapter earns highest international honor
The Texas A&M University Society of Petroleum Engineers student chapter has been internationally recognized for its dedication to student success.
TAMU-SPE students during a 2026 event.
The Texas A&M University Society of Petroleum Engineers (TAMU-SPE) student chapter has received the 2026 Presidential Award for Outstanding Student Chapter.
This prestigious award is the highest honor an SPE student chapter can receive and recognizes only the top 10% of the society’s student chapters around the world. The award recognizes three separate categories: technical dissemination and professional development, community involvement, and member recognition and appreciation.
TAMU-SPE was recognized for the chapter’s excellence in technical dissemination and professional development, specifically for their annual events and student developmental opportunities.
“The biggest goal of our student chapter is to prepare petroleum engineering students for excellence,” said Murad Hajiyev, TAMU-SPE student chapter president. “Most of our events are centered around improving student research, preparing students for the workforce and connecting them with industry professionals. Awards like these highlight our hard work and prove we are providing opportunities that leave an impact.”
Each year, TAMU-SPE hosts multiple events for student development and career opportunities. Every event is student-designed and student-run. Members plan, raise funds and execute events such as bi-annual career fairs, student symposia and conferences and collaborations with other petroleum engineering departments nationally and globally to elevate student research and create industry connections.
The student chapter also creates valuable opportunities for students through technical panels, software trainings, networking events and other student-led professional development programs and initiatives.
In addition to the Presidential Award for Outstanding Student Chapter, TAMU-SPE also received the 2026 Regional Outstanding Student Chapter Award for the North American region.
“Our students in TAMU-SPE take on a large agenda, averaging over 100 events per year for the past several years,” said Dr. Tom Blasingame, professor and head of the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering. “TAMU-SPE tackles full-scale projects and takes on the responsibility that goes along with those projects. While they are investing in their future selves, they are also investing in and promoting opportunities for their fellow students. As a department, we are uniquely proud of the TAMU-SPE organization and our petroleum engineering students. For TAMU-SPE, leadership is a verb.”
TAMU-SPE previously won the SPE Presidential Award for Outstanding Student Chapter every year from 2014 through 2024. They will be formally recognized for these awards during the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition in October.
