Ilham El-Monier named SERC Fellow
Having only joined the CBE department this past fall, Ilham El-Monier is already racking up the accomplishments. In addition to getting the new petroleum engineering minor off the ground, she was recently named a Subsurface Energy Resource Center (SERC) Faculty Fellow for 2017-18.
The Fellowship will support Dr. El-Monier's efforts to continue developing the petroleum engineering minor., and will involve her as a member of the SERC Faculty Advisory Committtee.
Dr. El-Monier, a clinical assistant professor in CBE, trained as a reservoir engineer in the Cairo office of BP and other stations in Egypt. Her research interests include fluid mechanics and petrophysics and fracturing and image analysis of hydraulic fractures in various substrates.
The first course offered for the new petroleum engineering minor had fast takers, with classes filled by the second day. Students from chemical engineering and mechanical, civil, and environmental engineering students, as well as students from earth sciences, have all shown significant interest in learning more about the oil and gas industry.
As part of her efforts to revive the petroleum engineering minor, she has reactivated the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and Buckeye Shale Energy Organization (BSEO) to provide more value to students. SPE members took a field trip to Halliburton in Zanesville (pictured above).
Guest speakers in classes and at SPE / BSEO events have featured industry leaders such as department namesake Bill Lowrie ('66), Deputy CEO of BP Amoco, retired; as well as Paul Dubetz ('80), VIce President for Commercial Operations, Exxon Mobil Iraq (retired), who is also serving as an adjunct professor in the program; Christina Sistrunk ('82), President & CEO, Aera Energy LLC; Len Fry, District Technology Manager, Halliburton Services; Rod Osborn ('77), Manager, Energy Business Line, Battelle Memorial Institute; and Mark Moody '(76), Sr. Field Geologist, Exploration and Production Services, Battelle Memorial Institute have served as guest speakers.
Dr. El-Monier holds a PhD in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M Univeristy-College Station, and most recently was a lecturer and post-doc at The University of Oklahoma in their petroleum and geological engineering program.
She is currently a researcher at the Utica Shale Energy & Environment Laboratory (USEEL) at Ohio State.
Two more new courses in petroleum engineering will be offered this fall.
