Donations Fuel Oilfield Simulator

Morgan City Oilfield Rodeo Donation 2016
Photo from left to right: Neal Weaver, Nicholls vice president of university advancement; Loreta Dupre, events coordinator for MCOFR; Joey Cannata, operations manager at Tanks-A-Lot; Bruce Murphy, Nicholls President; Mike Gautreaux, executive director of PETSM; John Doucet, Nicholls dean of College of Arts and Sciences. Photo by Misty Leigh McElroy/Nicholls State University

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 2, 2016

CONTACT: Jacob Batte, Media Relations and Publications Coordinator,

985.448.4141 or jacob.batte@www.nicholls.edu

THIBODAUX, La. — The Morgan City Oilfield Fishing Rodeo has donated $9,000 to Nicholls State University’s Department of Petroleum Engineering Technology and Safety Management, which will use the contribution to purchase equipment for the program’s Well Control Simulation Lab.

“Education is the foundation of everything in our area,”  said Loretta Dupre, the fishing rodeo’s events coordinator and a Nicholls alum. “Every year we give back all the money that we raise to help support the growth of the oilfield industry and local community.”

Last August, the organization presented Nicholls with a $13,000 check that the university allocated toward renovating Gouaux Hall classrooms and labs, used exclusively by PETSM students. That raises their total donations to the university to $36,000.

Founded in 2013 by Morgan City-based deepwater container specialist Tanks-A-Lot, the nonprofit hosts its fishing rodeo each May with the purpose of promoting community spirit in the local oil and gas industry while benefiting notable organizations for future growth within the community. Tanks-A-Lot employees, many of whom are Nicholls alumni, and countless volunteers have worked to ensure each rodeo is more successful than the one before.

“The sole effort is to raise funds to support higher education, the oil and gas industry, and our area,” said Joey Cannata, operations manager at Tanks-A-Lot.

Nicholls will be the only university in the Gulf South to have a well control simulator, which will provide a virtual drilling experience inside the classroom, on its campus.

“All the big drilling companies use this equipment to train their employees,” said Michael Gautreaux, executive director of PETSM. “Thanks to this generous donation and other industry support, Nicholls students will have the unique opportunity to receive this training and experience in the classroom, giving them a competitive advantage.”
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