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Since March 1992, Henry Halpern ’77 has been working in Saudi Arabia for Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil-producing company. As a petroleum geochemist, Halpern determines where oil and gas are being generated, how they are migrating from their source to the reservoir, what the nature of the oil and/or gas in the reservoir is, and how the resources can be exploited most economically.
Although he had never been to the Middle East before accepting the position, Halpern eagerly grabbed the opportunity for a big change.
“I needed to escape the daily humdrum,” he says. “And while the people here are very helpful and friendly, my sense of humor definitely helped during the transition period.”
Halpern enjoys making decisions that affect the productivity of a well and seeing how the decisions pay off after the well is tested. He says that sometimes, however, it’s hard to find enough people to do a good job. He also must work at keeping himself sharp and focused given his high workload.
All in all, he has had a wonderful experience working and living in Saudi Arabia.
“Working in Saudi Arabia is very enjoyable, and the cultural intermingling is great,” says Halpern. “Where else can you work with Saudis, other Arabs, Filipinos, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, and Nepalese? I feel the only downside is the negative view the general media have of this part of the world. The people here are the same as everyone else; we need to get past the stereotypes.”
Outside work, Halpern referees basketball games in Filipino leagues, runs in Saudi Aramco’s beautiful camp, fishes, and bikes.
He believes that his time at Lafayette helped him to gain the cultural and professional experiences he has today.
“At Lafayette, while it was not nearly as multi-cultural as it is today, I learned to get along with many different types of people and this prepared me to see the world in a different light,” he says. “Academically, two professors in particular greatly impacted my future – Joseph A. Sherma, Larkin Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, and Richard Fass, professor emeritus of geology. Dr. Sherma taught me to pay attention to detail and quality in one’s work because that is ultimately important. Dr. Faas introduced me to geology and geochemistry and had a profound impact on what I have spent most of my life doing – geochemistry!”
Halpern plans to retire to Pagsanjan, Philippines in early 2008.
“Any [alumni are] welcome to visit me there,” he says. “It is a wonderful place with wonderful people. Anyone who wishes to contact me can so do through my email address, henry.halpern@aramco.com.”