Podium for Frederick II at Imperial Barrel Award finals

Yet another extraordinary achievement for students of the Master's Degree in Geology and Applied Geology. The team from the University of Naples Federico II, after winning the European semifinal, represented our continent at the global final of the AAPG Imperial Barrel Award by placing third. To Augusto Maresca, Muhammad Awais, Salvatore Buoninfante, Giuseppe Ferrara and Flavia Ferriero went the prestigious Stoneley Medal, as well as a $5,000 prize, to be invested in teaching support activities.

TheImperial Barrel Award is the most important university-wide competition in the geosciences. This year, 87 teams and 544 students from around the world participated in the program. The nine winning teams from the Regions and Divisions semifinals competed in the global final, which took place on May 21, 2021. Each team presented the results of an analysis of a geology and geophysics dataset aimed at developing a subsurface exploration program for energy resources. The students' work was judged by a panel of 5 judges, composed of professionals with long experience as exploration managers in leading international companies in the industry.

The competition is of the highest level, with the participation of the most prestigious universities in the world. The extraordinary result achieved by the students proves once again that the Federico II is able to attract very talented students and provide them with the highest level of preparation. The students who train in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Resource Sciences are able to compete with students from the most prestigious universities in the world. But most importantly, with teaching programs based on learning by doing and enriched by team projects on applied topics, they are working to train the next generation of geologists, who will have to play a key role in the energy transition and in building societies resilient to climate change.