Process Paper

Over the summer, I read an interesting book titled Transportation

and Global Climate Change. The book discussed the world’s dependency

on oil and the rapid rate at which oil is being consumed. The book also

mentioned OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) and

discussed its influence on oil pricing. After reading this book, I chose to

further investigate OPEC. I needed to validate if OPEC could be

considered an innovation. I learned that OPEC has influenced every

country in the world because of the demand for oil. Research validated

my topic and I committed to doing a project on OPEC.

My initial research began with an interview with Franklin Orr,

Professor of Petroleum Engineering at Stanford University. I next

contacted Wade Adams, the Director of the Center for Nanoscale Science

and Technology at Rice University. Adams referred me to Matt Simmons,

world expert on peak oil and Energy Investment Analyst Advisor to

Former U.S. President George W. Bush. Simmons provided me with great

insight on when the world’s oil supply may be depleted as well as a book

titled OPEC: A Falling Giant. I checked out the book from my local public

library and was surprised to find great quality photographs that I could

incorporate into my project. After obtaining interviews, I began to

research in depth on OPEC. Through books, government documents,

journal articles, magazine articles and many other sources, I learn a

great amount of information on OPEC and how its tremendous impact

changed the world oil market.

After validating my topic, I decided to choose a category to present my

research. In previous years, I had done an exhibit, documentary, and

even a performance, so I decided venture into a new category. I was left

with two categories that I had never done before— an historical paper or

an interpretive website. During my research I discovered a myriad of

video footage in archives throughout the United States, and that played

an important decision on my category selection. And also because of my

great enthusiasm for media, music, videos and the fact that I would get

to learn web mastering, I decided to do a website.

Historically, “OPEC: A Crude Awakening” fits this year’s theme

“Innovation in History: Impact and Change.” OPEC rose to international

prominence during the 1970s for its power in regulating the price and

production of oil; the oil market has forever changed due to OPEC’s

impact on the supply of world oil. OPEC is an innovation that has

inevitably altered the course of history.