Lamar University's Center for Midstream Management and Science (CMMS) and Howard Energy Partners (HEP) are pleased to announce the winners of the second annual CMMS Midstream Essay Contest. The essay assignment was Aging Infrastructure in the Midstream Industry, and it was open to all undergraduate and graduate students at all 34 4-year, public universities in Texas. The essay competition generally sought the perspective of students engaged in degree programs in the colleges of Business, Engineering, and Arts & Sciences, but all students in all disciplines were encouraged to submit an essay. Topics were wide open, including but not limited to, corporate finance and structure, capital markets, engineering, operations regulation, ESG, and human capital.

Generally, the midstream industry gathers, processes, fractionates, transports via pipelines, and stores oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and NGL fractionated products such as propane, ethane, and butane. The midstream industry ultimately collects raw hydrocarbons from oil and gas fields (upstream) and delivers them to consumers, including refiners, petrochemical plants, heavy industry, and retail or residential consumers (downstream). The broad listing of degree programs and essay topics was designed to not only expose students of many degree programs and interests to the midstream industry but also to find and highlight unique perspectives from tomorrow's leaders.  

The 2024 winners of the CMMS Midstream Essay Contest are: