Engineering receives $4.1M in-kind software gift

LAWRENCE — Engineering and geoscience students at the University of Kansas will benefit from more than $4 million in software developed by analytics provider IHS Markit.

IHS has provided an in-kind gift through KU Endowment worth $4.1 million in software products to Reza Barati in order to teach two courses in the School of Engineering: the Capstone Design Petroleum Engineering course as well as the Unconventional Resources course. The software also will be used for research by Barati’s research group and other research groups in Learned Hall.

In these courses, students learn how to make a geological model, improve it with seismic data, analyze engineering well testing and decline curve data and, at the end, conduct reservoir simulation. Students also will use the software to become familiar with the flow concept in unconventional reservoirs and wells.

“IHS software services are widely used in petroleum engineering and geosciences and will give students hands-on experience with professional software as they prepare for the workforce,” said Barati, assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering.

Michael Branicky, dean of the School of Engineering, said, “The School of Engineering is grateful for the opportunity to give students this next-level training for a global energy marketplace.”

IHS has a long history of contributing to advanced education and supporting academic institutions and students through its programs. The Englewood, Colorado-based company provides critical information and insight through global analytics.

KU Endowment is the independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment was the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.