SPE’s Ghana Section is committed to energy education!
Author: Heather Stanford; Published: Dec 22, 2011; Category: Classroom materials, Classroom presentations, Education outreach, Energy, Energy Education, Energy sources, Engineering Careers, Environment, SPE members; Tags: Children, Classroom Instruction, Education, Energy, Energy4me, natural gas, oil, Petroleum, School, SPE, Student, Volunteer; Comments: Comments Off
The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Ghana section, is growing and gaining momentum! With a growing membership and an enthusiastic board, they have made the commitment to make a difference in the oil and gas industry while doing something good for their community. The Ghana section will be supporting 10 schools in Accra and 10 schools in Takoradi with energy education materials including energy4me books and kits as well as classroom presentations.
SPE encourages all its members and sections to educate the public about energy and put a face on the industry. Energy is a critical issue worldwide, and SPE believes face-to-face contact is the ideal way to spread the word about energy conservation, the future of the oil and gas industry, and its impact on the planet.
The energy4me books and kits donated to the Ghana section were sponsored by energy4me, SPE’s energy education outreach program, and Colin Black, SPE EIC member and Director, Optima Solutions UK Ltd.
SPE and energy4me would like to thank the Ghana section in their energy outreach initiatives. Together, we can make a difference by sharing the facts about energy with the public and putting a face on the industry.
Keep up the good work!
Learn more about energy and energy careers.
The picture to the right shows the SPE Ghana board members and British High Commissioner, Mr. Peter Jones.
SPE Dallas Section Hosts Science Teacher Barnett Shale Field Trip!
Author: Heather Stanford; Published: Nov 19, 2011; Category: Classroom materials, Education outreach, Energy, Energy Conservation, Energy Education, Energy sources, Engineering Careers, Environment, Geology, Science, SPE members, Technology, Volunteering; Tags: Careers, Education, Energy, Energy4me, Engineering, Engineering Careers, Geology, natural gas, science, SPE, Teacher, Technology, Volunteer; Comments: Comments Off
The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Dallas section took local science teachers on a Barnett Shale field trip Thursday, November 18, 2011.
The tour started off at the Ellison Miles Geotechnology Institute (EMGI) where Dallas section members Toni Lott, Brad Robinson, Deborah Hempel-Medina, Brian Chacka, and Patrick Crawford made a presentation covering the history of Oil and Natural Gas, Geology and the History of Barnett Shale, Drilling a well, and Hydraulic Fracturing. Teachers were engaged in the presentations and asked the presenters a lot of questions to get a better understanding of the industry and how they could relay the information to their students in the classroom.
After the overview, everyone was styling in their safety gear as they prepared to go out into the field. Each participant wore steeled toed boots, fire retardant overalls, safety glasses, ear plugs, and hard hats. The teachers were able to visit three sites where they learned firsthand about safety, advance technologies, and rules and regulations all involved in operating each site. The sites teachers visited are listed as follows.
- Williams Company Drilling Site
- Devon Energy Hydraulic Fracturing Site
- Chesapeake Learning Center
After a full day of touring, teachers headed back to the Dallas Convention Center full of knowledge about the industry, their hard hat as a souvenir, and information to take back to their classrooms that included an “Oil and Natural Gas” book.
This workshop was made possible by the Ellison Miles Geotechnology Institute, Society of Petroleum Engineers-Dallas Section, Halliburton Energy Services, Williams Company, Devon Energy Company, Baker-Hughes Oilfield Services and Chesapeake Energy.
Energy4me and the Society of Petroleum Engineers want to thank everyone involved.
Learn more about careers in the industry.
Vampire Energy – Ah, Ah, Ah
Author: Heather Stanford; Published: Oct 26, 2011; Category: Energy, Energy Conservation, Energy Education, Environment; Tags: Education, Energy, Energy Conservation, Environment; Comments: Comments Off
Beware! Vampire energy could be lurking behind every corner in your house. You might ask yourself “What is vampire energy and how can I protect myself?”
Vampire energy is electrical power used by appliances and equipment while switched off or not performing their primary function, often waiting to be activated. This loss of energy is known as standby or vampire energy, it’s fairly small but increasing in households across the globe.
Modern appliances and electronic devices that have lights or digital displays receive signals continuously and act like vampires sucking energy even when they are turned off!
Listed are a few simple things you can do at home to cut down on vampire energy.
- unplug your appliances and portable chargers when not in use
- use a power strip for things like your computer, fax machine and printer and then turn the power strip off.
- Purchase appliances that use less energy, look for the Energy Star labels
Some of the biggest culprits that waste energy in our homes are the adapters that come with rechargeable or battery-powered devices such as cordless phones, cell phones, digital cameras, music players, and power tools. They can draw power when plugged in whether the device is fully charged or connected.
By doing these simple tasks at home, you can save energy, save money, and take a bite out of vampire energy!
Learn more ways to save energy!
Participate in America’s Home Energy Education Challenge!
Author: Guest Author; Published: Sep 7, 2011; Category: Classroom materials, Education outreach, Energy, Energy Conservation, Energy Education, Energy sources, Environment, Uncategorized; Tags: Children, Classroom Instruction, Earth, Education, Energy, Energy Conservation, Teacher; Comments: Comments Off
Guest Author – Matthew Maguire Inman, Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, United States Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
It’s that time again: Back to school season is officially here! Time for students to prepare for the new experiences and challenges that they will encounter throughout the upcoming school year.
One such challenge—from the Department of Energy in partnership with the National Science Teachers Association—aims to tap into the creativity and enthusiasm of students across the country.
America’s Home Energy Education Challenge is designed to educate students in grades 3-8 about the benefits of energy efficiency, and motivate them to encourage their families and communities to put energy and money-saving ideas learned in the classroom into action at home.
“This exciting competition is designed to inspire the next generation of energy leaders to take simple and affordable steps today that will save money and get them thinking about energy issues at an early age,” said Energy Secretary Chu.
There are two ways for teachers, students and families to participate: The first is through the Home Energy Challenge and the second is through the Energy Fitness Award. Each is designed to encourage learning about science and energy with the added benefit of saving money by saving energy. The Home Energy Challenge encourages students to work with their families to reduce home energy use—monitoring energy savings over a three-month period. Schools with the highest number of points earned for reducing household energy usage, student participation, creativity and overall quality of their local energy savings program qualify for awards.
The Energy Fitness Award is a separate individualized educational challenge scheduled to begin September 20, 2011. Modeled after the President’s Physical Fitness Test, the Energy Fitness Award encourages students to complete specific tasks, such as interpreting a home energy bill and learning how to conduct a home energy assessment, and then demonstrate their learning and proficiency. The Energy Fitness Award will challenge students to become smart energy users. Each student who successfully completes the components of the Energy Fitness Award will receive an Energy Fitness Badge.
Participating schools and classrooms, as well as Home School networks, will compete within 11 regions for more than $200,000 in prizes distributed at the regional and national levels. Official registration for the Home Energy Education Challenge began August 15, and ends on October 7, 2011. Students are encouraged to register with their teachers by September 30, 2011 to take advantage of the full energy savings period.
For more information, visit the Home Energy Education Challenge website. And for more on how saving energy saves you money, visit the Energy Savers and Kids Saving Energy pages. Also, visit energy4me.org for tips on how you can save more energy at home!
The Ambassadors for Pakistan have done it again!
Author: Heather Stanford; Published: Aug 16, 2011; Category: Classroom presentations, Education outreach, Energy, Energy Conservation, Energy Education, Energy sources, Engineering Careers, Renewable energy, Science, SPE members, Technology, Uncategorized, Volunteering; Tags: Careers, Children, Classroom Instruction, Education, Energy, energy challenges, Energy Conservation, Energy4me, Engineering, Engineering Careers, SPE, Student, Technology, Volunteer; Comments: Comments Off
For the second year in a row, the “Ambassadors for Pakistan” have made several visits in their community presenting energy awareness and making an impact! The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) NED University Student Chapter in Karachi, Pakistan, conducted five Energy4me presentations this year in secondary schools, colleges and universities in Pakistan.
The student-run program promotes SPE and educates the surrounding schools about the oil and gas industry and the challenges facing it today.
The schools they visited
- Abdullah Government College
- The Fahim’s A-Levels School System
- CharterHouse Public School
- A.M.S.B Al-Madrast-us-Saifyat-ul-Burhaniya
- Jinnah University For Women
Energy4me and SPE would like to express our thanks to the commitment and continued efforts of this student chapter!
Ambassadors for Pakistan Team (2009-present)
- Hernan Buijs- SPE Student Development Committee Officer (mentor, motivator, and visit sponsor)
- M Turab Mehdi – Ambassadors for Pakistan – Team Executive Head & Planner
- Tabinda Saeed – HR Manager
- Syeda Hasan- Team Manager
New presenters added this year.
- Sidra Chughtai – Presenter
- Omer Ashan – Presenter
- Shahzeb Barber – Presenter
- Eijaz Danish – Presenter
- Mufaddal Murtaza – Presenter
Energy4me encourages young industry leaders to get involved in their community by giving classroom presentations or holding educational outreach programs like the SPE NED student chapter. These presentations make a huge impact and inspire future generations!
Share with us your contributions and outreach efforts in your community that you are already making with Energy4me and email us at energyed@spe.org or read more on how you can get involved in your community!
Again, thank you to the SPE NED University Student Chapter on your continued education outreach efforts in Pakistan!
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