Italian Classroom Materials Now Available!

Author: Darci Ramirez; Published: Sep 10, 2010; Category: Classroom materials, Classroom presentations, Education outreach, Energy, Energy Education, Science, SPE members, Uncategorized, Volunteering; Tags: Children, Classroom Instruction, Education, Energy, Energy4me, Lesson Plans, natural gas, oil, Petroleum, School, SPE, STEM, Student, Teacher, Volunteer; Comments: Be the first

Energy4me is excited to announce free downloadable Italian lesson plans and classroom activities on Energy4me.org!

Energy4me Kit materials and lesson plans that correspond with Energy4me’s “Oil and Natural Gas” book were translated into Italian for the “Energize Your Classroom Teacher Workshop” to be held during the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) on 22 September 2010 in Florence, Italy. All materials are also now available for teachers to download directly from Energy4me.org! The workshop and Italian materials are free for teachers thanks to a generous sponsorship from ExxonMobil.

The kit downloads include fun classroom activities and hands-on experiments, ready-to-go classroom presentations, teaching aids, and speaker resources. Materials are tailored to age groups (primary, intermediate, and secondary students.)

The lesson plans address topics including the formation of natural gas and oil, finding and retrieving petroleum, products from petroleum, and oil and the environment. They are designed for teachers to use with students ages 10-18 in conjunction with the “Oil and Natural Gas” 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.

Energy4me’s educational materials are also available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

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.

See Mark Rubin’s Presentation to NEED Teachers

Author: Darci Ramirez; Published: Jul 14, 2010; Category: Classroom presentations, Education outreach, Energy, Energy Education, Energy sources, Science, Volunteering; Tags: Education, Energy, Energy4me, Engineering, natural gas, oil, Petroleum, science, SPE, Speaker, sustainability, Teacher, Technology; Comments: Comments Off

The Society of Petroleum Engineer’s (SPE) Executive Director, Mark Rubin, educated science teachers attending the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project’s National Energy Conference for Educators with a keynote presentation on the energy’s grand challenges.

Mark covered the most important things first – where to find the best BBQ and  Mexican food in Dallas – and then provided an overview beginning with the basics on why meeting the world’s growing demand for energy is so complex. A synopsis of the oil and natural gas exploration and production process followed, along with a candid discussion of today’s challenges with the Mocondo blow-out in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Teachers shared that they were impressed that Mark didn’t shy away from questions, but provided answers and led discussion about even the most difficult of topics in the industry right now – the Gulf oil spill and hydraulic fracturing.  Mark’s presentation was rated best ever by one of NEED’s veteran facilitators in attendance.