A team of students under the EAGE (European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers) Makerere University chapter attended the 79th EAGE Conference in Paris, France (11th to 17th June 2017) to present a technical paper on the Albertine Graben oil and gas deposits in Uganda. The team was sponsored by TOTAL S.A after emerging winners in the Team TOTAL grants competition of 2017. The students competed with other teams from Europe, Asia, Australia and South America in the Dream Ticket category for a share of 41,000 Euros in funding. In attending this conference, the students were able to present their research findings at an international platform. In addition to winning the Team Total Dream Ticket Grant that enabled  them to participate at the 79th EAGE Conference and Exhibition, the team also won the audience special prize (a camera)for the best project.

The team comprised: Mr. Balyesiima Mustaqim - Team Leader (Bsc IV Petroleum Geosciences & Production-College of National Sciences); Mr. Musasizi Josephat (BSc. IV Petroleum Geosciences & Production- College of Natural Sciences); Ms. Aijuka Nichola (BSc. Civil Engineering – College of Engineering, Design Art and Technology); Ms. Kiconco Rhona (MSc. Petroleum Geophysics- College of Natural Sciences); Ms. Ajuna Banet (MSc. Petroleum Geochemistry- College of Natural Sciences). All the team members are passionate about geosciences and the environment. They also felt not only ambassadors of Makerere University but also of Uganda as a nation.

In their words, they said, ‘we realized two different dreams in successfully applying for funding to attend the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE) annual conference. Our ambition to attend the EAGE conference, but as the 2017 event was sponsored by TOTAL S.A in Paris, France; we had the opportunity to visit the ‘City of Light’.

EAGE is a global professional association for geoscientists and engineers with more than 19,000 members worldwide. It provides a global network of commercial and academic professionals to all members. The association is truly multi-disciplinary and international in form and pursuits.