SPE Delta Section Visits Morgan City Jr. High School

Author: Guest Author; Published: Jan 26, 2011; Category: Classroom materials, Classroom presentations, Education outreach, Energy, Energy Education, Engineering Careers, SPE members, Uncategorized, Volunteering; Tags: Careers, Children, Classroom Instruction, Education, Energy, Energy4me, Engineering, Engineering Careers, Petroleum, School, SPE, Speaker, Student, Volunteer; Comments: Be the first

Guest Author – By Jenny Young, SPE Delta Section, YP Chairperson

On January 21st, four Society of Petroleum Engineer (SPE) members visited Morgan City Jr. High to discuss oil and gas to five 8th grade Earth Science classes. We began by introducing ourselves explaining our individual paths leading to a career in the Petroleum Industry. Josh Black, who drills wells for Shell in the Magnolia field, emphasized the benefits Nicholls State University offers with its work-study program.

Next, we presented a few power point slides from the energy4me prepared presentation. When asked where the students use petroleum products in their day-to-day life, they thought of the gasoline in cars and lawnmowers. However, they were baffled to learn that their desk chairs, aspirin, newspaper ink, shaving cream, and even lipstick are petroleum derived. Oscar Pasache, a student at Nicholls State University and working one week shifts offshore, brought bottles of crude oil and its extracted water and a flow meter and explained how the oil flows through the meter to tell us how much oil has been produced for the day.

Patrick Johnson, a full-time student at Nicholls State and president of their SPE-Delta student chapter, tested the students’ energy IQ with fact or fiction questions from the energy4me kit. He mystified the students when stating the fact, “Hydrogen is the cleanest burning fuel.” Although it is the cleanest, the dark thick crude oil that was passed around is what all of us use on a daily basis. We encouraged the students to pursue petroleum engineering so that the energy industry has more creative minds in the future to figure out cleaner and more efficient ways to provide energy.

Recognition to the SPE members who volunteered their Friday to reach out and inspire the rising generation at Morgan City Jr. High, impacting 170 students: Josh Black, Oscar Pasache, Patrick Johnson, and Jennifer Young.

Learn more about giving a classroom presentation or starting an Energy4me program!

Why would students want to become an engineer?

Author: Guest Author; Published: Nov 19, 2010; Category: Energy, Energy Education, Engineering Careers, Environment, Geology, Math, Renewable energy, Science, Technology, Uncategorized; Tags: Careers, Earth science, Education, Energy, energy challenges, Energy Conservation, Engineering, Geology, Geothermal, Math, Petroleum, School, science, Student, Technology; Comments: Be the first

Guest Author – Marva Morrow, Energy Education Consultant

As students are moving from the classroom to the real world, the biggest question is, “What do I want to be when I grow up?”  Becoming an engineer might be the right career for you if you want to have a career that’s exciting, flexible, and where you can really make a difference!

Did you know that engineering is one of the few fields where you can earn a good salary after only four years of college? In the US, engineers’ starting salary can range from USD 52,048 – USD 83,121 a year depending on which type of engineering field you pursue, according to the National Association of College and Employers (NACE) Engineering salaries have been higher than average salaries for the last 40 years and according to the US Department of Labor, engineers starting salaries are among the highest of all college graduates.

Top-Paid Majors for 2009-10 Bachelor’s Degree Graduates (Source: NACE)

Major	Average Salary Offer
Petroleum Engineer	USD 77,278
Chemical Engineer	USD 64,889
Mining and Mineral Engineer	USD 63,207
Computer Science	USD 60,473
Computer Engineering	USD 60,396

Engineers are well-paid globally, though salaries will vary depending on the country. For example, typical starting salaries for petroleum engineers in the UK range from £29,000 – £36,500, according to salary data collected August 2009 (USD 36,000-USD 49,000). The Society of Petroleum Engineers has just published its 2010 salary survey that shows salaries based on years of experience in different parts of the world.

Besides earning a great salary, engineers can choose to work in the field or in the office. In certain industries, some engineers travel around the world working from one site to another. Since science and technology are constantly advancing, there will always be new problems to solve making a career as an engineer always exciting! Engineers are constantly challenged to “think outside of the box” and to explore new possibilities, making our lives better.

Science and technology are the gateway to tomorrow and someone will be engineering it. WHY NOT YOU!

Learn more about engineering careers.

SPE Student Chapter Education Outreach Efforts in Pakistan

Author: Heather Stanford; Published: Oct 6, 2010; Category: Classroom presentations, Education outreach, Energy, Energy Education, Energy sources, Engineering Careers, SPE members, Uncategorized, Volunteering; Tags: Careers, Children, Classroom Instruction, Education, Energy, energy challenges, Energy Conservation, Energy4me, Engineering, Petroleum, School, SPE, Speaker, Student, Teacher, Volunteer; Comments: Be the first

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) NED University Student Chapter in Karachi, Pakistan, conducted six Energy4me presentations in secondary schools, colleges and universities in Pakistan. Hernan Buijs, an SPE Young Professional Coordinating Committee member from Argentina, worked with student chapter member Mohammad Turab and his team, also known as the “Ambassadors for Pakistan,” to create an energy education outreach initiative. The student-run program promotes SPE and educates the surrounding schools about the oil and gas industry and the challenges facing it today.

Energy4me and SPE would like to express our thanks to the commitment and continued efforts of this student chapter. Behrooz Fattahi, 2010 SPE president said “My congratulations to Hernan Buijs and Mohammad Turab for doing such a fantastic job with Energy4me. With people like you guys, I am confident our industry will do great and SPE will benefit immensely from your contributions.”

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!

Thank you to the SPE NED University Student Chapter on your continued education outreach efforts in Pakistan!

View the video on the outreach efforts of the “Ambassadors for Pakistan”.

Teachers learn about energy at SPE workshop in Florence, Italy

Author: Heather Stanford; Published: Sep 28, 2010; Category: Classroom materials, Classroom presentations, Education outreach, Energy, Energy Education, Science, SPE members, Technology, Uncategorized, Volunteering; Tags: Children, Classroom Instruction, Education, Energy, Energy4me, Lesson Plans, natural gas, oil, Petroleum, School, science, SPE, Teacher, Technology; Comments: Be the first

The Society of Petroleum Engineers brought 50 Tuscany-area science teachers to its 2010 Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition in Florence, Italy, on 22 September to learn about energy topics.

The “Energize Your Classroom” teacher workshop presented by SPE’s Energy4me energy education program, partnering with the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci. ExxonMobil was the sponsor of the event, enabling the teachers for pre-university students age 10-18 to attend the workshop and receive the Italian materials at no cost.

The all-day workshop began with a keynote speaker, Giambattista De Ghetto, senior vice president for Research and Technological Innovation of Eni E&P, based in Milan. His talk provided an overview of “Energy’s Grand Challenges” with a special focus on the Italian petroleum industry.

After the keynote address, four instructors from the museum conducted the workshop, teaching them hands-on activities to use with their students in the classroom. Working in small groups, the teachers performed exercises and experiments that explored the characteristics of oil as a fluid and related science to everyday life. The museum instructors were Enrico Miotto, Fabrizio Stavola, Michela Maddalena, and Janos Cont.

The teachers also toured the exhibition area of the conference, with industry professionals from SPE’s Italian Section and the museum staff explaining the high-tech tools used by the oil and gas industry to find and produce energy resources around the world.

“The teachers told us they appreciated the opportunity to attend and that they very much valued this initiative,” said Alberto Di Lullo of Eni E&P, program chair for the SPE Italian Section who helped organize the event.

The teachers received the English version of Energy4me’s “Oil and Natural Gas” book and a CD with Italian lesson plans, classroom activities, hands-on experiments, ready-to-go classroom presentations, teaching aids, and speaker resources that all correspond with the book. The Oil and Natural Gas book addresses topics including the formation of natural gas and oil, finding and retrieving petroleum, products from petroleum, and oil and the environment.

Energy4me donates the “Oil and Natural Gas” book to teachers attending our teacher workshops around the globe. Energy4me’s educational materials are also available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

Tips for Teaching Energy

Author: Heather Stanford; Published: Sep 24, 2010; Category: Classroom materials, Classroom presentations, Education outreach, Energy, Energy Education, Energy sources, Engineering Careers, Environment, Math, Renewable energy, Science, Uncategorized; Tags: Children, Classroom Instruction, Education, Energy, energy challenges, Energy4me, Geothermal, Lesson Plans, natural gas, Petroleum, Renewable, School, SPE, Speaker, Student, Teacher; Comments: Be the first

Introducing energy topics in the classroom might seem like a daunting task to teachers especially when it comes to teaching energy sources. Teaching energy sources is a multi-faceted topic with global implications that can be fun and exciting with a little help from Energy4me and these useful tips!

Teachers can start their energy lessons by showing students the colorful and informative “Oil and Natural Gas” book, produced by the Society of Petroleum Engineers with DK Publishing. The book, which is free for teachers, puts a visual image with the scientific concepts being learned and shows kids how petroleum and natural gas shapes our world. Energy4me offers free downloadable lesson plans that correspond to the “Oil and Natural Gas” book.

Another great resource teachers can use is our Energy4me kit to help them in the classroom. The kit includes engaging classroom activities and hands-on experiments, ready-to-go classroom presentations, teaching aids, and speaker resources. Materials are tailored to students ages 5-18 and are also free to download.

After learning about different energy sources and their impact on their lives, students will want to learn more. Give them a well-rounded view on energy education and request a classroom speaker. Energy4me engages the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ (SPE) professional members worldwide to help serve as classroom speakers.

Energy4me is a great free resource to help make learning about energy fun and exciting!

Educational materials are also available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Italian, Russian, and Spanish.