October 12, 2009 — Iraj Ershaghi's unanimous election to the Board of Directors of the U.S. Department of Energy-funded Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) is a highly significant honor and an important opportunity for Iraj and for the USC Viterbi School's Petroleum Engineering Program. With Iraj¹s decades of research and groundbreaking contributions to non-traditional oil recovery, and the expertise he will bring to the non-profit RPSEA, it is also an astute and mutually beneficial decision on the part of the RPSEA Board of Directors.

The RPSEA Program plan for 2010 focuses on ultra-deepwater and unconventional natural gas and other petroleum resources research and development, and was established pursuant to the 2005 Energy Policy Act (EPAct).

RPSEA's mission is "to provide a stewardship role in ensuring the focused research, development and deployment of safe and environmentally sensitive technology that can effectively deliver hydrocarbons from domestic resources to the citizens of the United States."

Iraj is Director of VSoEs Petroleum Engineering Program, wherein he orchestrated with the VSoE Distance Education Network creation of the first online master¹s program in Smart Oilfields Technology. He also serves as Director of the USC­West Coast Petroleum Technology Transfer Council, and Executive Director of the Chevron­USC Center for Smart Oilfield Technologies (CiSoft, 2003).

Chair's Quote: We are very pleased to learn of this new honor for Professor Ershaghi, said Mork Family Department Chair Theodore Tsotsis. This award recognizes his many exceptional accomplishments in petroleum engineering education and research, and the value his experience and knowledge will bring to the partnership. Our department joins me in congratulating him on his election to the RPSEA Board."

Date of Board Meetings: Iraj's service on the RPSEA Board begins in Nov. 2009. The Board is scheduled to meet in March and Sept. 2010.