(From left) Michael Gautreaux, executive director of Nicholls petroleum engineering technology and safety management, and David Zerangue, assistant dean of University College, accept a $10,000 check from Joey Cannata, representing the Morgan City Oilfield Fishing Rodeo.
THIBODAUX —Thanks to a $10,000 donation from the Morgan City Oilfield Fishing Rodeo, Nicholls State University’s petroleum engineering technology and safety management (PETSM) program will receive much-needed upgrades to its main computer lab.
“Our inspiration to start the fishing rodeo last year was based on wanting to help the oil and gas industry and to bring together industry leaders, family and friends,” said Joey Cannata, fishing rodeo board member and manager of Tanks-A-Lot. “As a Nicholls graduate, I saw this as a perfect opportunity to get involved in what’s going on here on campus. Thanks to the rodeo’s growth in participation and vast sponsorships, we were able to more than double our contributions to Nicholls this year.”
Last fall, the fishing rodeo donated $4,000 to the program. This year’s $10,000 donation will be used to upgrade the 2008-model computers in the university’s American Association of Drilling Engineers Computer Simulation and Distance Education Lab, located in Gouaux Hall.
“Because of the generous support of the Morgan City Oilfield Fishing Rodeo, we’re going to be able to extend the life of our computers by another three or four years by updating the operating system, adding memory and installing newer software,” said Michael Gautreaux, PETSM executive director. “We’ll also install cameras on each monitor so that students can record their presentations if they have to miss class.”
The Nicholls petroleum engineering and safety management program, founded in 1973, is one of the fastest-growing programs on campus, with more than 160 new students enrolled for the fall semester.
