Students, Educators Get an Up-Close Look at Technology and More at OTC!

Author: Anthony Darby; Published: May 13, 2013; Category: Classroom materials, Classroom presentations, Energy Education; Tags: Classroom Instruction, energy education, STEM, students, Teachers; Comments: Comments Off

The 2013 Offshore Technology Conference hosted 11 Houston-area high school groups as part of the Energy Education Institute on 9 May! About 250 students and teachers escaped from the classroom for the day to explore offshore technology through activities facilitated by our friends at the NEED Project. Groups modeled the challenges of  “Getting the Oil out” at different depths through artificial lift. Using straws and sponges, students were able to explain why perforated well casings can produce more petroleum or natural gas in horizontal drilling than ones without holes. These activities and more are available in the NEED Project’s “Exploring Oil and Gas” curriculum guide. (http://need.org/needpdf/ExploringOilandGas.pdf)

 

Industry tour guides took the students and teachers to the expansive OTC exhibit halls to discover the future of offshore technology. Many of the exhibitors shared presentations of their products by letting students climb in submersible vehicles, view 3D models of rigs, and interact with state-of-the-art simulations of the offshore drilling process. OTC recognizes the importance of engaging students in the opportunities of offshore energy careers, because they are the future of the industry!

Thanks to generous sponsorships of BP and ExxonMobil, both the student and teachers workshops were complimentary. If you missed out this year, check back for applications to the OTC 2014 Energy Education Institute!

Interested in attending a like workshop? Send us a note to energyed@spe.org

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Six Reasons to Invest in Better STEM Education

Author: Anthony Darby; Published: Apr 18, 2013; Category: Classroom materials, Energy Education; Tags: energy education, STEM, students, Teachers; Comments: Comments Off

 

Check out this infographic we found courtesy of EDTECH! It demonstrates the importance of K-12 science, technology, engineering and mathematics instruction. Furthermore, the infographic illustrates how a firm math and technology-based education can improve students’ long-term job and career prospects.

Looking to make the case for better STEM investment in your school or district? Make the case visually with the following six reasons why every school should make STEM education a priority.

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Extra! Extra! Energy4me Has a Newsletter!

Author: Anthony Darby; Published: Apr 11, 2013; Category: Energy Education; Tags: energy education, SPE, STEM, students, Teachers; Comments: Comments Off

We are pleased and excited to launch the first edition of the Energy4me Newsletter! As you know, we’re the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ (SPE) global energy education outreach program offering factual educational resources to students, teachers, and the general public.

Published quarterly, the Newsletter will keep past workshop participants, educators, and SPE members updated with the latest information on resources and materials regarding energy education.

We also provide you with up-to-date information about upcoming educator and student workshops, volunteer and scholarship opportunities, and career profiles!

In short, the Newsletter is for you and anyone you know interested in energy education!

Sign-up to receive our newsletters HERE!

View the first Newsletter: HERE!

Watch our Energy4me promo video HERE!

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STEMtistic: Why Engineering Pays Off

Author: Anthony Darby; Published: Feb 28, 2013; Category: Energy Education, Engineering Careers; Tags: Careers, classroom, energy education, STEM, students, Teachers; Comments: Comments Off

This week’s blog is courtesy of ChangetheEquation.org. Do you have students interested in engineering as a career? From a financial perspective, there are many benefits to STEM and pursuing a career in the many engineering disciplines. Read why below.

The median annual earnings of an engineer with a bachelor’s degree are $75,000.

In fact, 8 of the top 10 majors associated with the highest median earnings per year are in engineering:

• Petroleum engineering: $120,000
• Pharmacy sciences and administration: $105,000
• Mathematics and computer science: $98,000
• Aerospace engineering: $87,000
• Chemical engineering: $86,000
• Electrical engineering: $85,000
• Naval architecture and marine engineering: $82,000
• Mechanical engineering: $80,000
• Metallurgical engineering: $80,000
• Mining and mineral engineering: $80,000

 

Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (2011). New Report on the Economic Value of 171 College Majors Links College Majors to Earnings. [Press release]. Retrieved from http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/pressrelease.pdf. See also Carnevale, A.P., Melton, M. and Strohl, J (2011). What’s It Worth? The Economic Value of College Majors. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

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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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