San Joaquin eWeek is a Success

Author: Darci Ramirez; Published: Mar 18, 2010; Category: SPE members, Volunteering; Tags: Energy4me, Engineering Careers, eWeek, SPE, Student; Comments: Comments Off

Congratulations are in order for the San Joaquin Valley (California) section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers! The section, along with California State University Bakersfield and the local school district’s school-to-career program, recently sponsored its 10th Annual Engineers Day event, attended by nearly 500 upper-level students and their teachers! The event was modeled on professional conferences, with technical speakers, exhibits and tours. Kudos to Engineers Day moderators (and petroleum engineers) John Kaiser and Ashley Jorishie!

New Faces of Engineering

Author: Darci Ramirez; Published: Mar 12, 2010; Category: Engineering Careers; Tags: Careers, Engineering, Engineering Careers, eWeek, SPE; Comments: One Comment

Young engineers are poised to make a huge impact on today’s world—they’re enthusiastic, dedicated and full of fresh ideas for solving issues on a global scale. The National Engineers Week Foundation recently honored 13 of these young professionals as the “New Faces of Engineering 2010”—engineers who are doing exciting work in the field that just might make an impact on your everyday life in the future! Read all about these emerging pros (including 26-year-old Abhishek Anchliya, nominated by the Society of Petroleum Engineers for his work with young professionals and students!.

A Picture Says a Thousand Words: Send Us Your Photos and Videos!

Author: Darci Ramirez; Published: Feb 21, 2010; Category: Education outreach; Tags: Children, Classroom Instruction, Earth Science Week, Energy4me, eWeek, School, SPE, Speaker, Student, Teacher; Comments: One Comment

Energy4me wants to see how students are learning about energy in classrooms and at student events all over the world. Teachers, classroom speakers and student groups are invited to send us their podcasts, music videos, photos—anything that shows us how you’re making energy education a reality! Are you a teacher with an exciting experiment coming up? Grab your video camera and show off your students’ energy enthusiasm! Are you a petroleum engineer who’s making a guest presentation at a school? Record your speech and your question-and-answer session with the students and turn it into an educational podcast! We’ll put the best video and audio clips on our website for the world to see.

A quick tip: If you’re going to feature students on film (either video or still photos), make sure you print out copies of our Minor Photo Release form (make enough copies for all the students who might be featured!) so you can get permission from the students’ parents. If possible, send the forms home with the students several days before the cameras roll!

Email your photos and videos to energyed@energy4me.org or mail us a disc at 222 Palisades Creek Drive, Richardson, TX 75080, USA. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

What Teachers (and Students) Want From a Classroom Speaker

Author: Darci Ramirez; Published: Feb 15, 2010; Category: Classroom presentations; Tags: Children, Earth Science Week, Education, Energy4me, eWeek, School, SPE, Speaker, Student, Teacher; Comments: Be the first

Speaking to a classroom of kids is fun, beneficial— and maybe a bit intimidating! But petroleum engineers who are giving a guest presentation to students can make their experience a lot easier by learning in advance what teachers—and students— are looking for.

Start by researching your audience. If you’re talking to younger kids (ages 5-12), make sure you keep your topics at a level they can understand. Next, plan the details of your presentation: You’ll want to be interactive, offer personal information about your career and other careers in the oil and gas field, and explain how petroleum engineers make an impact on the world. Add a “wow” factor by incorporating fun, hands-on activities or doing a show and tell with a “Magic Suitcase” (stocked with oil and gas items like set well cement or hydrocarbon sample kits)!  Don’t forget to work out the logistics of your visit: where you should park, whether you have to check in at the front office, how much time you’ll have to speak and what subjects the students are currently focused on.

Most importantly, have fun with your presentation! Teachers know that guest speakers who are excited and engaging are much more likely to make an impression on students—and that’s what they’re looking for!

And, of course, visit Energy4me’s SPE Volunteer section for even more handy tips, downloadable kits and information about how you can have a free educational book sent to the school you’re visiting!