LU’s Center for Midstream Management and Science joins international organization IPLOCA
February 02, 2022 | by Shelbe Rodriguez
Lamar University is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors of the International Pipe Line & Offshore Contractors Association has approved the LU Center for Midstream Management and Science’s application to become an academic member of the international organization. As one in four universities in the organization and the only academic member in the United States, LU joins Gubkin University (Russia), Ghent University (Belgium) and Cranfield University (United Kingdom). 
The International Pipe Line and Offshore Contractors Association is a not-for-profit association with a mission of sharing ideas, engaging the industry and its stakeholders, facilitating business opportunities and promoting the highest standards in the pipeline industry. Each academic member institution has a unique focus on issues facing the pipeline industry: The Welding Engineering and Laser Processing Center at Cranfield University has a significant role in improving practices in onshore and offshore manufacturing with industrial partners; The Soete Laboratory at Ghent University develops defect acceptance criteria for pipeline girth welds; and Gubkin University is a powerful national research center and source of manpower for the Russian oil and gas industry. The LU Center for Midstream Management and Science, however, has an even more rare aspect.
“The Lamar University Center for Midstream Management and Science is the only center in the world solely focused on midstream,” said Thomas Kalb, director of the Center for Midstream Management and Science. “The center has funded over $900,000 of research in over 25 projects led by Lamar University faculty focused on solving practical technological and operational problems faced by the industry.”
The organization provides five types of membership categories –– regular members, associate members, corresponding members, academic members and honorary members. Academic memberships include universities and research institutions whose activities encompass research and/or the study of pipes, materials, tools, supplies, welding, coating, testing and modus operandi associated with onshore and/or offshore pipelines and/or associated process engineering facilities. With members in more than 40 countries, the IPLOCA represents 250 key players in the onshore and offshore pipeline construction industry worldwide.
“The IPLOCA regularly awards scholarships and we will be able to apply for those. We also will be included in events and discussions where leaders of industry provide valuable insight into what industry leaders are thinking and care about –– it gives us enhanced information on where we should focus our resources,” Kalb said. “This prestigious membership will provide the CMMS with outreach opportunities to industry leaders that we otherwise would not have.”
Learn more about the International Pipe Line & Offshore Contractors Association or the LU Center for Midstream Management and Science.
The International Pipe Line and Offshore Contractors Association is a not-for-profit association with a mission of sharing ideas, engaging the industry and its stakeholders, facilitating business opportunities and promoting the highest standards in the pipeline industry. Each academic member institution has a unique focus on issues facing the pipeline industry: The Welding Engineering and Laser Processing Center at Cranfield University has a significant role in improving practices in onshore and offshore manufacturing with industrial partners; The Soete Laboratory at Ghent University develops defect acceptance criteria for pipeline girth welds; and Gubkin University is a powerful national research center and source of manpower for the Russian oil and gas industry. The LU Center for Midstream Management and Science, however, has an even more rare aspect.
“The Lamar University Center for Midstream Management and Science is the only center in the world solely focused on midstream,” said Thomas Kalb, director of the Center for Midstream Management and Science. “The center has funded over $900,000 of research in over 25 projects led by Lamar University faculty focused on solving practical technological and operational problems faced by the industry.”
The organization provides five types of membership categories –– regular members, associate members, corresponding members, academic members and honorary members. Academic memberships include universities and research institutions whose activities encompass research and/or the study of pipes, materials, tools, supplies, welding, coating, testing and modus operandi associated with onshore and/or offshore pipelines and/or associated process engineering facilities. With members in more than 40 countries, the IPLOCA represents 250 key players in the onshore and offshore pipeline construction industry worldwide.
“The IPLOCA regularly awards scholarships and we will be able to apply for those. We also will be included in events and discussions where leaders of industry provide valuable insight into what industry leaders are thinking and care about –– it gives us enhanced information on where we should focus our resources,” Kalb said. “This prestigious membership will provide the CMMS with outreach opportunities to industry leaders that we otherwise would not have.”
Learn more about the International Pipe Line & Offshore Contractors Association or the LU Center for Midstream Management and Science.