ELTE Faculty of Science geology and geophysics students won the bronze medal at the world final in Houston, where they presented the results of their geothermal case study. This marks the first podium finish by a Hungarian team since 2017.
The AAPG Eötvös Student Chapter team won the European regional semifinal of the competition in April, securing their place in the final held in the United States, where they competed against students from leading universities around the world. Instead of focusing on traditional hydrocarbon exploration, the team chose a geothermal energy exploration and development project. Using a provided comprehensive dataset from the Snake River Basin in the USA – including well lithology and borehole geophysical logs, magnetotelluric, temperature and gravity data – the students identified the most promising area within the basin, estimated its available geothermal capacity, and carried out a detailed assessment and quantification of geological risks.
The final was held on August 17 at the headquarters of Murphy Oil Corporation in Houston, with six regional champion teams taking part. During the full-day competition, the teams presented their research findings to professionals from the US oil and gas, geothermal energy, and carbon storage industries.
The team consisted of Dániel Turai (geophysicist), Gergő Glavanov (team leader, hydrogeologist), Péter Weisz (petrophysicist), and Bori Csende (geologist), pictured from left to right. Boglárka Illés (geophysicist) was also a member of the team and participated in the competition remotely due to technical difficulties. The photograph also features Brian Horn, past AAPG President (left), and Catherine Donohue, the competition’s lead organizer (right).
The team was supported by the researcher of our Chair as professional mentors: Dr. Ábel Markó (Supervisory Authority for Regulated Activities, ELTE), Tamara Tóthi (University of Twente, HUN-REN Institute of Earth Physics and Space Science, ELTE), and Dr. Brigitta Czauner (Department of Geology, ELTE Faculty of Science).
Throughout the competition, the students followed a comprehensive research program to develop their final case study. Bori investigated the geological evolution of the study area and identified potential reservoir rocks. Gergő determined the hydraulic and physical properties of the selected reservoirs and developed the conceptual geothermal model. Péter interpreted borehole geophysical data from previously drilled wells and carried out the geothermal risk assessment, while Boglárka focused on the interpretation and correction of temperature data. Dániel contributed through the interpretation of magnetotelluric profiles and gravity anomaly data.
The team’s third-place finish represents a major international achievement for ELTE and Hungarian geoscience education, marking the first Hungarian podium finish at the Imperial Barrel Award since 2017, when the ELTE team won a silver medal.
