Inspirational Engineer, Abhijeet Kulkarni, Nominated for New Faces of Engineering

Author: Anthony Darby; Published: Feb 21, 2013; Category: Engineering Careers, SPE members; Tags: energy education, eWeek, members, SPE; Comments: Comments Off

Let’s celebrate awesome… and inspirational!

17-23 February 2013 is Engineers Week! Every year, since 2003, members from participating engineering societies nominate colleagues 30 years or younger for consideration as one of the New Faces of Engineering, a highly coveted honor. SPE (Energy4me’s supporting organization) nominated Abhijeet Kulkarni of Shell Denmark.

Kulkarni, 30, is a reservoir engineer whose work is constantly informed by his all rounded approach towards his organization, environment and the future. He is currently involved in a project to enhance oil and gas production from the existing North Sea fields. He is a voluntary member of the Earth Watch team that has studied the impact of climate change in the Arctic. As chairman of SPE Young Professional program, he inspires the youth as he mentors and spreads awareness about engineering.

Click HERE to learn more about Eweek!

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Congrats to the 2013 Nico van Wingen Memorial Graduate Fellowship Recipients!

Author: Anthony Darby; Published: Feb 14, 2013; Category: Energy Education, SPE members; Tags: energy education, SPE, students; Comments: Comments Off

The Nico Van Wingen Memorial Graduate Fellowship is an annual fellowship award for SPE members at the Ph.D. level intending to pursue careers in academia. Each university that has an SPE Student Chapter and offers a Ph.D. degree in petroleum engineering may nominate one candidate.

The fellowship namesake, Nico van Wingen, played a major role in the development of oil production technology in the US, Austria, Canada, West Germany, Iran, Turkey, and Venezuela. He was active on many SPE committees and won the Anthony F Lucas Gold Medal and SPE Distinguished Member award in 1985.

In 2013, two outstanding individuals are recipients of the award: Orhun Aydin of Stanford University and Mojtaba Shahri of Tulsa University. Congratulations to them both!

Aydin is a PhD student in the Energy Resources Engineering Department at Stanford University. He has received a Master of Science Degree in Energy Resources Engineering Department at Stanford in 2012. He received his Bachelor of Science at the Middle East Technical University in Turkey. Orhun was awarded the SPE STAR Scholarship during his last year at Middle East Technical University. 

Currently, Aydin is a research assistant at the Stanford Center for Reservoir Forecasting (S.C.R.F.), where he works with Professor Caers on model complexity to answer how complex we need to make earth models or reservoir models to make decisions. Outside of his responsibilities as a student researcher, he is also the treasurer of the Stanford Student Chapter of SPE.

Shahri is a PhD student at the University of Tulsa. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Petroleum Engineering in 2008 and 2010. He earned the 1^st rank in both undergraduate and graduate studies 2008 and 2010 among all the students. Mojtaba also ranked 1^st in the University of National Entrance Examination of Graduate Program. Mojtaba has more than twenty publications in different journals and conference related to Petroleum Engineering and also served as technical reviewer in petroleum engineering related journals. He has been awarded as the 2012 Henry Dewitt Smith Fellowship recipient in the world as well.

Shahri is currently conducting research on the coupled fluid flow-geomechanical modeling of reservoirs for predicting reservoir stress path under supervision of Dr. Miska and Dr. Yu at the University of Tulsa Drilling Research Projects (TUDRP).

For more information about the Nico van Wingen Fellowship go here.

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Energy4me, Energy Education, and Volunteers a Recipe for Success

Author: Anthony Darby; Published: Oct 4, 2012; Category: Energy Education, SPE members; Tags: energy education, SPE, STEM, students, Volunteer; Comments: Comments Off

Written for Ignite Magazine, below is a guest article about Energy4me, volunteering and the importance of energy education. Great read!

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Energy is a critical issue worldwide and education about energy is important to keep the industry growing.  The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) encourages its members to educate the public about energy and put a face on the industry. SPE saw a need to provide teachers with factual, unbiased information that can be used in classrooms worldwide to spread the word about energy conservation and the future of the oil and gas industry.

 In order to meet this need, SPE created Energy4me, an energy education programme that provides energy resources to educators, teaches about careers in petroleum engineering, and discusses industry challenges. It was designed to make an impact through classroom and website resources, teacher development, and speaker programmes. 

The Energy4me resources include a kit with classroom materials created by teachers for teachers, and have been tested in a classroom environment. The kit contains ready-to-go presentations, classroom activities, lesson plans, and hands-on experiences to demonstrate the dynamic process of the discovery of oil and gas and how it shapes our lives. Many of the materials are available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.  

Free one-day teacher workshops are held at select SPE conferences. Each event covers age-specific, hands-on energy lessons and activities, offers a keynote speaker from the industry, and includes a technology tour. For their participation in the workshops, teachers receive the Oil and Natural Gas book, an information-filled book on the history and uses of oil to take back and use in their classroom. 

The Energy4me programme also holds student STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) workshops for secondary students at select SPE conferences. Students see firsthand the exciting opportunities the energy industry can offer by touring the latest state-of-the-art technology, meeting industry professionals, and participating in hands-on activities. These events also give students the chance to learn about emerging technology in the petroleum industry, career opportunities, or how energy makes an impact on our everyday lives. 

Participation from SPE members is fundamental to the success of the Energy4me programme. Members are encouraged, worldwide, to serve as classroom speakers, science fair judges, lead students and teachers in educational activities at select SPE conferences, and career fair exhibitors, as well as donate materials to schools. 

Colin Black, Optima Solutions UK Ltd Director and SPE School Career Guidance Chairman of the Aberdeen Section, is doing his part to give back to the Energy4me programme. He has organized a partnership with SPE, the Satrosphere Science Centre, and the Aberdeen City Council to develop the Energy4me Development project that aims to promote and enhance the learning and teaching of energy topics in primary schools in Aberdeen and throughout Scotland. 

“Energy education is vital to the future of our industry and it is important that we take the time to create a fun learning environment for students,” Black said. “By partnering SPE with the Satrosphere Science Centre and the Aberdeen City Council we have been given the opportunity to develop a programme that will make the difference in the lives of many students and hopefully entice them to pursue a future in the oil and gas industry.” 

Representatives from SPE, the Satrosphere Science Centre, and three teachers from the Aberdeen City schools worked together to develop an Energy4me pack, a useful and relevant educational resource that complements and supports curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes. It includes five lessons that meet the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence but can still be used anywhere in the world with modifications.  The lessons have been trialed in schools and were then refined and amended before the final version was produced for publication. 

Following a launch event to release the Energy4me pack, a continuing professional development session will be organized for local teachers. They will be given the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the materials and activities prior to engaging their students. SPE volunteers will contribute to the training sessions and will also provide assistance in the classroom when the materials are introduced. The materials will be distributed in schools upon completion of the training sessions.

Want more information on Ignite Magazine? Email us at energyed@spe.org

Join the conversation on Facebook— www.Facebook.com/Energy4me. You can also connect with us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Energy4me!  

 

Take the Wheel… Run an Energy4me Program!

Author: Anthony Darby; Published: Aug 16, 2012; Category: Classroom materials, Energy Education, Science, SPE members; Tags: Children, energy education, School, Speaker, Teachers, Volunteer; Comments: Comments Off

Together, we can make a difference by sharing the facts about energy with the public and putting a face on the industry.

Energy is a critical issue worldwide, and we believe face-to-face interaction is one of the many effective ways to spread the word about energy conservation, the future of the oil and gas industry and its impact on the planet! SPE members, teachers, young professionals and even university students all bring a facet to energy education that can lead the way.

Doing your part for energy education is easy, and there are plenty of ways for you to get involved! Based on your interests, you may consider the following activities:

• Classroom presentations
• Show and tell
• Donate Energy4me materials to schools
• Supporting teacher workshops
• Scholarships/grants

Read more HERE about how to get started, setting a plan of action and how to utilize Energy4me materials during the program!

Join the conversation and discuss with us on Facebook— www.Facebook.com/Energy4me. You can also connect with us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Energy4me.

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.