Knowledge is their business ExxonMobil centers provide information when and where it’s needed.
wheel,” he says. “You learn from what’s been done, what should have been done … and it helps you take the idea from there.” Focus areas Each information center special- izes in a specific area of research: The Chemical Information Center in Baytown, Texas, pro- vides technical information and intellectual property support in the areas of basic chemicals, intermediates and polymers for chemical research and technol- ogy centers worldwide. The Corporate Headquarters In- formation Center in Irving, Texas, focuses on business research, including financial, company, economic, industry, market, government, geopolitical and biographical information. The Downstream Technical Information Center in Clinton shares science and engineer- ing information and intellectual property support. The Upstream Technical Informa- tion Center at the company’s Houston campus specializes in geoscience, engineering and commercial technical information, as well as intellectual property support for Upstream Research, Exploration, Development, Pro- duction, Gas and Power Market- ing, and XTO Energy.
During his 46-year career with ExxonMobil, research chemist Mike Siskin has authored more than 130 company reports, con- tributed to over 100 issued U.S. patents, and written more than 100 technical publications. When the senior scientific advi- sor for ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company (EMRE) starts a new project, his first stop is the ExxonMobil Downstream Technical Information Center. Located at EMRE’s facility in Clinton, New Jersey, the Down- stream Technical Information Cen- ter is one of four that make up the ExxonMobil Library Information Network. Staffed by experts with advanced technical or information science degrees, the centers pro- vide timely, cost-effective and qual- ity information for the company’s toughest information challenges. “For the last 46 years, they have been the go-to depart- ment for me,” says Siskin, whose downstream research has led to breakthroughs in delayed cok- ing processes, development of next-generation absorbents and greater refining efficiencies. Siskin begins each new project with a request to the center for abstracts and articles. “You really need to understand what’s been looked at before and where the gaps are so as not to reinvent the
Photo by Robert Seale
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Story by Tracy Torma
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