Battlecat Oil and Gas co-founders and partners Kurt von Plonski and Mark Semmelbeck (second and third from left), with executive associate dean Dr. John Niedzwecki and department head Dr. Steve Holdit

Battlecat specializes in exploitation of low permeability gas reservoirs. The firm was founded in 1999 by Mark Semmelbeck and Kurt von Plonski, Texas A&M Class of 1983 petroleum engineering classmates.

"A&M played a big part in our success and we want to help students pursue the kind of career we have enjoyed," said Semmelbeck, principal in the Midland-based company. He and von Plonski were recognized for the Battlecat gift at a departmental banquet earlier this year.

The Battlecat scholarship, funded through the Texas A&M Foundation, is part of the Von Gonten Scholarship Program, named for the late Douglas Von Gonten, an influential department head whose 14 years of service resulted in unprecedented growth of petroleum engineering at Texas A&M.

Recipients must maintain minimum cumulative and semester grade point ratios of 3.0 and be enrolled in at least 14 semester credit hours counting toward a petroleum engineering degree.

"Generosity of such significance is truly indicative of the Aggie Spirit at its finest. Thanks to Mark and Kurt's gift, young men and women who might not otherwise have had the opportunity will now have access to the privilege of a quality education here at Texas A&M," said Sara Lillehaugen, director of development for engineering with the Texas A&M Foundation.

The Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M is ranked number one in public undergraduate programs and number two in graduate programs, according to U.S. News & World Report. The university's Dwight Look College of Engineering is ranked eighth in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. The college houses 12 departments and more than 9,700 students.