Free Arabic and Chinese Lesson Plans Now Available!

Author: Darci Ramirez; Published: Aug 23, 2010; Category: Classroom materials, Classroom presentations, Education outreach, Energy, Energy Education, Science, SPE members, Volunteering; Tags: Children, Classroom Instruction, Education, Energy4me, Lesson Plans, natural gas, oil, Petroleum, School, SPE, Speaker, Student, Teacher, Volunteer; Comments: Comments Off

Energy4me is excited to announce free downloadable Arabic and Chinese lesson plans on Energy4me.org.

 The lesson plans correspond with Energy4me’s Arabic and Chinese versions of the “Oil and Natural Gas “book. They address topics including the formation of natural gas and oil, finding and retrieving petroleum, products from petroleum, and oil and the environment.

The lesson plans are designed for teachers to use with students ages 10-18 in conjunction with the book. They were created using the 5E constructivist learning cycle, helping students build their own understanding from experiences and new ideas. The 5Es represent the five stages of a sequence for teaching and learning: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaboration and Evaluate.

Energy4me donates the “Oil and Natural Gas” book to teachers attending our teacher workshops around the globe. Books are also donated to the teacher when members of the Society of Petroleum Engineers give energy-related classroom presentations to students ages 5-18. Books can also be purchased and donated to teachers for wider distribution.

Select materials from the Energy4me Kit are also free to download in Arabic and Chinese. The kit includes fun classroom activities and hands-on experiments, ready-to-go classroom presentations, teaching aids, and speaker resources.

Energy4me’s educational materials work together to make learning memorable and fun!

SPE Sabah Section Reaches 112 Students

Author: Darci Ramirez; Published: Aug 16, 2010; Category: Classroom presentations, Education outreach, Energy, Energy Education, Engineering Careers, SPE members, Volunteering; Tags: Children, Education, Energy, Energy4me, Engineering, Engineering Careers, natural gas, oil, Petroleum, School, SPE, Speaker, Student, Teacher, Volunteer; Comments: Comments Off

A big thank you to the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Sabah Section for holding their first Energy4me educational outreach event in July. A group of 15 young professionals visited 112 pupils and 17 teachers at SK Kabajang in Beufort, Sabah. This was the first destination chosen as part of the Sabah Section’s strategic plan for educational outreach as part of their Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) program.

The program made children aware of the petroleum industry and its opportunities for careers. Lots of laughter got the program off to a great start during a fun, ice-breaking activity. A presentation on petroleum history and its benefits to the nation followed along with interactive activities. The event concluded with planting a “tree of hope” on the school compound.

The school children expressed excitement throughout the program and had a wonderful learning experience. They were especially excited to receive goodies and gifts as a token to remember the day, and to see a gift presented to their headmaster.

Energy4me encourages young industry leaders to get involved by giving classroom presentations or holding educational outreach programs in their area. Sharing educational and career possibilities with younger students can have a huge impact. Children often relate well to young professionals who are closer to their own age. Giving presentations not only inspires children, it also gives young professionals the opportunity to polish their leadership and public speaking skills.

Share your contributions and outreach efforts in your community that you are already making with Energy4me and inspire others to join in on the fun!

Thank you to the SPE Sabah Section for sharing!

Tiny and Mighty Origins of Oil

Author: Heather Stanford; Published: Aug 9, 2010; Category: Energy, Energy sources, Geology, Science; Tags: Energy, Geology, natural gas, oil, Petroleum, science; Comments: Comments Off

Did you know that what lived over a million years ago provides most of the energy we use today? We don’t mean dinosaurs!  These little critters were as tiny as the head of a pin.

It’s popular belief that oil comes from dinosaur fossils. Even beloved children’s author, Dr. Seuss, featured a peculiar dragon that resembled a dinosaur throughout a 15 year advertising campaign for Standard Oil in the late 1920s and 1930s perpetuating this belief.

Today, scientists are consistently finding that oil largely comes from one of the tiniest organism of life. While any kind of organic material can contribute in the making of oil, most of it was formed around millions of years ago in the Carboniferous period before the dinosaur era.

Millions of years ago, these one-celled microorganisms lived and thrived in warm ancient waters. They were so small that more than a million could be found in a single drop of seawater. Over time, they died and decomposed making what is called “black mud” that rested at the bottom of the sea bed.  Heavy sediments quickly settled over the black mud burying the organisms and preserving the organic richness.  Layer upon layer of sedimentary rock pressed them down deeper toward the core of the earth.  Through millions of years of increasing pressure, hot temperatures, and multiple chemical changes, the organisms transformed from black mud to inanimate crude or oil.

Today’s geologists use several indicators to locate were these ancient organisms might exist today. Understanding of ancient seas, sea beds where black mud laid, and the catalogue of ancient organisms commonly found in pockets of deep oil are all used as indicators in the search for oil. See the recent New York Times article “Tracing Oil Reserves to Their Tiny Origins” to learn more.