Ramanan Krishnamoorti, chief energy officer of the University of Houston, emphasizes safety and problem solving in the education of the next generation of the oil and gas work force.

The industry, he said, has already done much to enhance safety and counter public perceptions. He believes that advances in technology will reinforce the industry’s commitment.

“The technology is there,” Krishnamoorti said. “We’ve shown some test cases. I think in the next five years you’re going to see a dramatic shift in how we look at maintenance and monitoring of complex structures in the midstream space that we’ve never done in the past.”