RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — Oilfield services company Schlumberger has donated $172 million worth of software to the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology to strengthen the school's energy resources initiative, the Rapid City school announced Thursday.
Houston-based Schlumberger provides technology and other support services for the oil and gas industry in areas such as western North Dakota's oil patch.
The software will be used in courses supporting the new petroleum systems minor and graduate certificate program, other petroleum-related curricula and faculty research, said School of Mines President Heather Wilson.
"Close partnerships with industry are a very important part of Mines' success," Wilson said.
School officials say hands-on use of commercial-grade software enhances graduating students' job prospects. Schlumberger currently employs more than 30 School of Mines graduates, including four who have been hired in the past five years.
The 12 software technologies will allow students to interpret seismic data, correlate well logs and build reservoir models and maps. They will also help students analyze wells for surveillance and forecast modeling and simulate flow for oil and gas production.
Courses using the software include petroleum production and drilling engineering, the petroleum field camp and petroleum geology.
Schlumberger gave a similar software donation to the school valued at $49 million in 2012.