Theses

The thesis requirement of the Energy & Earth Resources program serves as the culmination of the student's education at the University of Texas at Austin. Students are able to choose a thesis topic based on their interests. Knowledge gained and professors met through EER courses often provide avenues for in-depth exploration. While usually written individually, some topics lend themselves to group projects in which students investigate components of a larger issue. These projects foster a team approach as students exchange information and ideas. The following list of theses topics illustrates the wide range of possible topics open to Energy and Earth Resources students.

• Matthew Woodson
  TOPIC: Economic Comparison of Ethanol Production Technologies (2006)


• Marianne Shivers
  TOPIC: Electricity for Texas: Exploring the Potential of Solar and Distributed Generation (2006)


• Eric C. Agnew
  TOPIC: The Search for Oil on Federal Lands In Alaska: An Assessment of Options (2006)


• Yahya F. Anouti
  TOPIC: Policy Options for Coping With Higher Oil Prices: Modeling the Petroleum Sector in Lebanon(2006)


• Luis C. Faya
  TOPIC: Real Asset Risk Management: An Integral Approach to Manage Uncertainty in the E&P Industry(2006)


• Prajit Ghosh
  TOPIC: Capital Budgeting Under Uncertainty (2006)


• Jeremy M. Kimball
  TOPIC: China’s International Quest for Oil Security (2006)


• Liying Xu
  TOPIC: A Geometric Brownian Motion Oil Price Model (2006)


• William Hildebrandt
  TOPIC: Do EPA Violations Indicate Poor Management to Investors? (2005)


• Pierangela D'Addosio
  TOPIC: An Analysis of Projected and Actual Returns in E&P Projects (2005)


• Armando A. Guillen-Alamo
  TOPIC: New World Energy Trends - Meeting China's Transition from Coal to Oil and Gas (2005)


• Romulo P. Briceno
  TOPIC: Analysis of the Evolving Relationship between NOCs and IOCs. The Venezuela Case. (2005)


• Paul Adolfo Hultzsch
  TOPIC: Decision and Risk Analysis Through the Life of the Field (2005)


• Radcliffe Killam
  TOPIC:Liquefied Natural Gas within the U.S. Natural Gas Market: Federal Regulation, Early LNG Developments, and the Economics of New LNG Developments (2005)


• Connie Lin
  TOPIC: Libya: A Second Opportunity for the Oil and Gas Industry (2005)


• Antonio Moreno Funes
  TOPIC: Managing the Effects of Climate Change Induced by Fossil Fuel Consumption (2005)


• Antonio Moreno Funes
  TOPIC: Managing the Effects of Climate Change Induced by Fossil Fuel Consumption (2005)


• Vanessa Nunez-Lopez
  TOPIC: Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery Potential and Sequestration Capacity in the Gulf Coast: a CO2 Sink Analysis near Texas City (2005)


• Ritu Sachdeva
  TOPIC: Natural Gas Markets in the US: Analysis of EIA's Annual Energy Outlook Projections for Natural Gas (2005)


• Toshiharu Sakurai
  TOPIC: Wind Energy - Repowering in Developed Countries and Possibilities in Developing Countries with Used Wind Turbines (2005)


• Steve Ravi Seetahal
  TOPIC: Using Game Theory to Analyze Oil and Gas Negotiations (2005)


• Talhah Tamia Shahab
  TOPIC: Compressed Natural Gas Marine Transport Technology as an Alternative for Natural Gas Transportation: Case Study in Eastern Indonesia


• Onsiri Sobabanlu
  TOPIC:Biomass for Energy in Thailand (2005)


• Larry Walker
  TOPIC: History and Geology of the East Texas Oil Field (2005)


• Shwan Al Berzinji
  TOPIC: A History of Qatar : From its pre-oil era to an energy based economy (2004)


• Carla Arzabe
  TOPIC: Alternative Fuels As An Alternative to Reduce U.S. Oil Dependence (2004)


• Mazine Kessaissia
  TOPIC: Solar Tower Technology (Thermal Power Generation) Development, Financing and Implementation in Algeria (2004)


• Sarah Shahbano Malik
  TOPIC: The Three Gorges Dam: A Comprehensive Case Study (2004)


• Rodolfo Rafael Marin
  TOPIC: Focus on Gas-to-Liquids (GTL): Feasibility Study to Monetize Alaskan North Slope Natural Gas (2004)


• Abbas Raza Naqvi
  TOPIC: Economic Evaluation of BP Pakistan's Oil Gathering System in Badin Concession, Southern Pakistan (2004)


• Ngozi Joyce Ogoke
  TOPIC: Economics, risks, contracts, safety and security of LNG projects (2004)


• Bryan P. Sams
  TOPIC: A Technical and Economic Evaluation of CO 2 Disposal from Coal-Fired Power Plants (2004)


• Leonor Alejandra Tovar-Guillen
  TOPIC: National Oil Companies: Profitable Corporations or Targets for Privatization - The Latin American Case (2004)


• Jitendra Vijay
  TOPIC: An Analysis of Natural Gas; It's Role & Importance In India's Energy Mix (2004)


• Christopher E. Wilson
  TOPIC: Predicting Fracture Degradation in the Piceance Basin, Colorado: Can a surrogate measurement guide the way to open fractures and highly productive wells (2004)


• Bente Camilla Gunther
  TOPIC: The Economic Potential of the Low Riser Return System in the Deep-Water Gulf of Mexico (2003)


• Jerawut Laowong
  TOPIC: Economic Evaluation of International Petroleum Agreements and Sensitivity Analysis of Agreements with Flexible Terms (2003)


• Hoin Lee
  TOPIC: Economic Evaluation of Importing Natural Gas from Russia into the Korean Natural Gas Industry (2003)


• Jose Navia
  TOPIC: Macroeconomics of the Energy Market in Bolivia (2003)


• Gina Luz Vega Riveros
  TOPIC: Analyzing Private Participation and the Economic Impact on the Gas Transmission Industry: A Global Overview (2003)


• Maria V. Sobinina
  TOPIC: Current Mergers and Acquistions in the Petroleum Industry (2003)


• Jose L. Acevedo
  TOPIC: Encouraging the Exploration and Production of Natural Gas in Developing Countries: A View of Northern South-America (2002)


• Javier Garcia
  TOPIC: Decision Analysis and Portfolio Management in Oil and Gas Exploration Prospect Evaluation: A Practical Application (2002)


• Koya Inabetsu
  TOPIC: Real Options as a Project Managing Tool: Periodic Re-evaluation Techniques to Manage Semi-Private Projects (2002)


• Moldir Izbassova
  TOPIC: Elements of a Natural Gas Market Model (2002)


• Pablo A. Liemann
  TOPIC: Applied Portfolio Management in the Petroleum Industry (2002)


• Carlos Medina
  TOPIC: Cogeneration: A Technology Review and a Technical and Economic Evaluation of its Integration into the Cement Industry (2002) Winner of the University of Texas at Austin Graduate School's Outstanding Master's Thesis in the Areas of Physical Science and Engineering for the Academic Year 2002/2003


• John W. Saturley, IV
  TOPIC: Disposal of Solid Waste Attributed to the Combustion of Coal: An Analysis of Current Practices and Possible Reformations (2002)


• Assel I. Smagulova
  TOPIC: Marine Oil Pollution: The Cost of Oil Spills (2002)


• Han Ching Wu
  TOPIC: The Prospect of Hydrogen Economy (2002)


• Muhammad A. Ahmed
  TOPIC: A Comparison of the Evolution of Natural Gas Transportation and Electric Power Transmission Deregulation (2001)


• Keumwoo Lee
  TOPIC: Feasibility Study of the Alaska North Slope LNG Projects (2001)


• Daniel Mendez
  TOPIC: Commercialization of LNG in the Atlantic Basin (2001)


• Basak Onat
  TOPIC: Economic Evaluation of a CO2 Miscible Flood Project, North Slope, Alaska (2001)


• Maximilian Sell
  TOPIC: The Monitoring of Competitive Electricity Markets by Independent System Operators (2001)


• Daniel Silva
  TOPIC: Natural Gas for Vehicles: An Alternative Fuel? The Venezuelan Experience (2001)


• Chinggis Tanggad
  TOPIC: Oil and Gas Companies' Strategies and Performance when Oil Prices are Depressed (2001)


• Clayton Wilson
  TOPIC: The Independent Oil and Gas Company: Past, Present and Future (2001)


• Ramiro A. Amaya
  TOPIC: Evaluation of Risk Analysis Methods and their Applications in Exploration and Production of an Offshore Petroleum and Gas Field (2000)


• Jeffery S. Beckage
  TOPIC:Weather Derivatives, Weather Insurance and Risk Management (2000)


• Scott A. Cattanach
  TOPIC:The Economic Potential of Natural Methane Hydrates (2000)


• Joseph Grennan
  TOPIC:The Impacts of Distributed Generation on Electrical System Planning (2000)


• Steven R. Klimowski
  TOPIC: Commercialization of Remote Arctic Natural Gas (2000)


• Nina Knirel
  TOPIC: Environmental Impact of Offshore Oil Operations (2000)


• Pedro Ott
  TOPIC: Cross-Border Securitization of Oil Export Receivables in Latin American Countries. A Structured Finance to Access the International Capital Market. (2000)


• Kenneth Potochnic
  TOPIC: An Assesment of the Economic and Political Risks Involved in the Construction of the Baku-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline (2000)


• Luis Velazquez
  TOPIC: Capital Allocation for Oil and Gas Exploration Projects: Recent Trends In Evaluation and Decision Methods (2000)


• Deborah L. Winkler
  TOPIC: Mineral Industry Risk in Papua New Guinea: A Case Study of the Ladolam (Lihir Island) Gold Deposit (2000)


• Elena A. Zotova
  TOPIC: Regional Study of Azerbaijan. Economic Evaluation and Risk Analysis of the Exploration and Production of the Inam Field (2000)


• Turki Salem Al Woseamer
  TOPIC: Vertical Integration in the Saudi Oil Industry and Implications of Changes in Global Markets (1999)


• Gordon W. T. Alexander
  TOPIC: Direct Analysis of Market Power in Deregulated Electricity Markets: A Methodology and Application to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (1999)


• Jose M. Balledos
  TOPIC: Real Options as an Alternative Investment Analysis Method in the Electric Power Industry (1999)


• Isolda Barros-Griffiths
  TOPIC: The Financial and Economical Impact of Governmental Deregulation on the U.S. Electric Industry (1999)


• Maria A. Bondarenko
  TOPIC: Economic Valuations of Russian Oil and Gas Fields (1999)


• Luciano Correa
  TOPIC: Business Analysis and Valuations of Russian Oil and Gas Fields (1999)


• Zeina A. El-Azzi
  TOPIC: Factors Affecting the Renewable Energy Market in the United States Following Electricity Industry Restructuring Strategies for Promoting Green Power (1999)


• Lee A. Fuerst
  TOPIC: The Socio-Economic Effects of Air Environmental Regulations on the U.S. Petroleum Refining Industry (1999)


• Victoria Y. Gosteva
  TOPIC: The Outlook for Oil and Gas Transportation in the Caspian Region (1999)


• Akmaral E. Izbasova
  TOPIC: Power Plant Optimization and Spark Spread Option (1999)


• Heung Lee
  TOPIC: The Effects of the Asian Economic Crisis on the LNG Industry (1999)


• Nurlan Muratov
  TOPIC: Uncertainties in the Oil Industry: The Country and Petroleum Risks (1999)


• Terry L. Ramsey
  TOPIC: Investment Diversification in Natural Resources (1999)


• Anastassia Shchelochkova
  TOPIC: Petroleum Industry Mergers: Business Valuation of Mobil Corporation (1999)


• Hiroyuki Matsuoka
  TOPIC: An Analysis of Japanese Oil Industry and Its Place in Japanese Energy Policy (1998)


• Sandra R. Parra
  TOPIC: Managing Risk with Derivatives in the Oil and Gas Business


• Shouan Tang
  TOPIC: Foreign Oil Companies' Participation in China's Upstream Petroleum Industry and Related Legal and Fiscal Regimes (1998)


• Joonhyeong Yoo
  TOPIC: Economic Development and the Liquefied Natural Gas Industry in Korea (1998)


• Michael Mauriello
  TOPIC:Economic Valuations of an Offshore Oil and Gas Field: Fair Market Value, Investor Values and Option Value (1997)


• Adam Jonas Vaskas
  TOPIC: Optimization of Surfactant Flooding: An Economic Approach (1996)


• Graeme R. Bullen
  TOPIC: The Diamond Industry of Botswana (1995)


• Gwendolyn Fricker
  TOPIC: Social, Political and Legal Issues Affecting the Future Development of the Russian Oil and Gas Industry (1995)


• Michael Chapman
  TOPIC: An Economic Evaluation of the Alkaline Surfactant Polymer Process as an Enhanced Oil Recovery Technique (1994)


• Jirawat Chewaroungroaj
  TOPIC: An Analysis of the Natural Gas Resources and Development in Thailand (1994)


• Nazem Elneser
  TOPIC: Venezuela's Energy and Mineral Resources: Strategies for Development (1994)


• Richard Franks
  TOPIC: Price Hedging and Its Value to Gold Producing Companies (1994)


• Sina Granmayeh
  TOPIC: Iran's Mineral Industry in the 1990's: Developments and Strategies (1994)


• Eugene Kim
  TOPIC: An Engineering Economic Evaluation of Ferromanganese Nodule Mining (1994)


• Neil McAndrews
  TOPIC: Natural Gas Storage in a Central Texas Electric Utility (1994)


• Rusty Shepherd
  TOPIC: Evaluating Solutions for Loaded Gas Wells (1994)


• William Stanley
  TOPIC: The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: An Analysis of Its Purpose, History, and Financing (1994)


• Patricia van Rensburg
  TOPIC: Deep Sea Mining of Diamonds (1994)


• Debra Williams
  TOPIC: An Analysis of Variables Affecting Water Use Patterns in Texas Cities (1994)


• Muhammed Ghazal
  TOPIC: Marine Oil Pollution (1993)


• Eugene Holmes
  TOPIC: Derivative Financial Instruments and Oil Trading (1993)


• Richard House
  TOPIC: Natural Gas Trade Under the North American Free Trade Agreement (1993)


• Alexander MacGregor
  TOPIC: An Evaluation of the Peak Coincident Load Impacts of the LCRA's Direct Load Control Program (1993)


• Peter Nance
  TOPIC: Designing Natural Gas Supply Portfolios Using Mean-Variance Tools (1993)


• Takahiro Ohtsuki
  TOPIC: International Coal Trade and Japan's Energy Policy (1993)


• Stephen Simmons
  TOPIC: Analysis of the Russian Petroleum Industry (1993)


• Jaime Garza
  TOPIC: The Effect of the Greenhouse Factor on the World's Future Technology and Energy Supply (1992)


• Stephen W. Hodgkins
  TOPIC: An Investigation of the Petroleum Potential of the Northern Powder River Basin (1992)


• Sanjay A. Mani
  TOPIC: The Simex Dubai Crude Oil Futures Contract: A Post-Mortem (1992)


• John Reistroffer
  TOPIC: Orimulsion TM: Profile of a New Fuel (1992)


• Jonathan Kyle Stephens
  TOPIC: Evaluating Regional Salt Dissolution: An Example From the Palo Duro (1992)


• Claude Stricklin
  TOPIC: Natural Gas Vehicles-An Idea Whose Time Has Come (1992)


• Andrew Backus
  TOPIC: A Critical Review of the U.S. Uranium Mining and Milling Industry and Impact of New Environmental Regulations (1991)


• David Blakemore
  TOPIC: UTPetros Relational Database (1990)


• Maryam Mossavat
  TOPIC: The Nuclear Power Industries of France and Japan (1990)


• Gary L. Underwood
  TOPIC: Risk Management in Electric Utility Generation Planning (1990)


• Thomas E. Burke
  TOPIC: Economic Effects of Traditional Pricing Policies on Cogeneration and Independent Power Production Development (1989)


• Bruce K. Darling
  TOPIC: An Analysis of Factors Affecting The Level of Barite Mining in the U.S. (1989)


• Lindsey J. Falconer
  TOPIC: Restructuring of the Australian Gold Mining Industry (1989)


• Ronald G. McMurry
  TOPIC: Economic Pressures to Nationalize Petroleum and Mineral Operations In Less-Developed Countries (1989)


• Charles A. Price
  TOPIC: The Optimal Taxation of Mineral Resources in Texas (1989)


• Carlos A. Sanz
  TOPIC: A Decision Analysis Approach to the Design of a Chemical Flooding Process (1989)


• Tatsuhiko Takatsuka
  TOPIC: Comparing and Contrasting Electricity Supply and Use in the United States and Japan (1989)


• William Barry Wethington
  TOPIC: Reservoir Characterization and Development Strategy for the Ackerly Dean Unit, Dawson County, Midland Basin (1989)


• John J. Dempsey, III
  TOPIC: Gold: A World Survey of a Precious Metal (1988)


• David E. Fenster
  TOPIC: Hazardous Waste Taxes and Regulations: Impact on the U.S. Petroleum Refining Industry (1988)


• Roger S. Howe
  TOPIC: Major Developments In The Gold Mining Industry Of The United States (1988)


• Lawrence J. Strauss
  TOPIC: Key Aspects of the Rare-Earth Industry (1988)


• Amy Abel
  TOPIC: Energy Productivity Study: Comparative Analysis of EAF & BOK Steelmaking (1987)


• Gil Atzmon
  TOPIC: Platinum Group Metals (1987)


• James J. Evers
  TOPIC: An Engineering-Economic Evaluation of Alternative Cogeneration Technologies (1987)


• Melvin R. Frazier
  TOPIC: Vanadium (1987)


• Therese M. Harris
  TOPIC: Key Aspects of Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resource Industry (1987)


• David S. Hemperly
  TOPIC: Public Awareness of the Mineral Industries: Guidelines For An Advocacy Program For the Domestic Mining Industry (1987)


• Susan L. McDonald
  TOPIC: Tantalum and Columbium (1987)


• John E. McElroy, Jr.
  TOPIC: Nickel: Key Aspects of a Strategic and Critical Ferrous Mineral (1987)


• William T. Pickens
  TOPIC: Economic Contributions of Petroleum Futures Markets (1987)


• Cheryl E. Womble
  TOPIC: A Study of Factors Contributing to Oil Company Failures (1987)


• David J. Adilman
  TOPIC: Factors Affecting the Future Petroleum Development of the North Slope and Beaufort Sea, Alaska (1986)


• Ralph P. Aldis
  TOPIC: The Economics of Gallium, Germanium, Indium, and Silicon: High Technology Minerals of the Semiconductor Industry (1986)


• Victor Flores
  TOPIC: The Energy and Mineral Resources of Mexico: Strategies for Development (1986)


• Gordon Scott Mather
  TOPIC: Cobalt: Key Aspects of a Critical and Strategic Metal (1986)


• Audrea M. Sutley
  TOPIC: Fuel Choices for Base Load Electric Generating Capacity in the Texas Gulf Coast. (1986)


• Diane R. Thomas
  TOPIC: The World Titanium Industry (1986)


• Rebecca J. Triana
  TOPIC: The Panhandle Field: A Case Study (1986)


• Diana Jo Walters
  TOPIC: Aluminum: A Global Composite Analysis of a Commodity (1986)


• Teruhisa Yoshimura
  TOPIC: Liquefied Natural Gas Trade and Japan's Energy Industry (1986)


• Douglas B. Groh
  TOPIC: The Economic Feasibility of Marine Mining Phosphorite Offshore North Carolina (1985)


• Michael G. Schoen
  TOPIC: Energy Flows in the Americas: Mexico, Canada, and Venezuela (1985)


• Sharon L. Moore
  TOPIC: Electricity Conservation Policy in Texas (1985)


• Bradley N. Netherton
  TOPIC: Acid Rain: An Analysis of Current Understanding and Policy Proposals (1985)


• William J. Anton
  TOPIC: Socio-Economic Effects of Offshore Oil and Gas Activities Upon Texas Coastal Communities (1984)


• Mark J. Berlinger
  TOPIC: Analysis of the Effects of Tax Policy on the Profitability of Petroleum Drilling Ventures, Using a Microcomputer Electronic Spreadsheet Discounted Cash Flow Model (1984)


• Becky L. Bollinger
  TOPIC: U.S. Federal Lands as a Source of Critical and Strategic Minerals to the United States (1984)


• Michael A. Fox
  TOPIC: Factors Affecting the Development of Conventional Fossil Fuels on Federal Lands of the Rocky Mountain Region (1984)


• Eric R. Hundahl
  TOPIC: The Take-or-Pay Provision of Natural Gas Contracts in North America (1984)


• John R. Sarver
  TOPIC: Geopolitics of Strategic Minerals: The Example of Chromium (1984)


• Paul Spinler
  TOPIC: An Analysis of the Mineral Industries of the Republics of China, the Philippines and Korea, the Kingdom of Thailand, and New Zealand (1984)


• Mark W. Thomson
  TOPIC: Railroad Transportation of Coal for Export: Recent Developments Affecting U.S. Competitiveness (1984)


• Philip R. Ballinger
  TOPIC: An Analysis of the Energy and Nonfuel Minerals of the U.S.S.R. (1983)


• Ralph H. Boeker, Jr.
  TOPIC: Chinese Energy and Mineral Resource Development: Implications for World Supply (1983)


• Thomas D. Braschayko
  TOPIC: Japan's Strategic Mineral Dependence (1983)


• Edward L. Calaway, Jr.
  TOPIC: Nonfuel Mineral Availability: The Importance of Southern Africa (1983)


• Perry M. Lindstrom
  TOPIC: An Analysis of the United States Strategic Stockpile for Nonfuel Minerals (1983)


• Brian K. Muehling
  TOPIC: The Dependence of the United States on Canadian Minerals (1983)


• Peter L. Savinelli
  TOPIC: Australian Mineral Production and Policy (1983)


• Steven M. Taylor
  TOPIC: The Mineral Industries of Latin America (1983)