MIDLAND, Texas Workshop Highlights
ConocoPhillips and the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project hosted their fourth energy education workshop in Midland, Texas on April 3. With the Midla nd school district’s recent announcement that all high school students must complete four years of math and science rather than the previous requirement of two years, the workshop could not have come at a better time for Midland area teachers.
In addition to providing teachers with hands-on science experiments and activities to help improve their students’ energy knowledge, the workshop gave teachers additional energy materials to meet the school district’s new science and math requirements. These requirements highlight the importance of giving students a solid background so they are better prepared to pursue science and math degrees and careers.
Travis Stice, development Manager for ConocoPhillips’ Midland operations, emphasized this point by encouraging teachers to motivate students to learn more about science and math.
“We need to make sure something sparks these students interest because we need scientists to enter the industry, and those future scientists are currently in your hands,” Stice told teachers.
After hearing from Stice about the company’s local operations, internships and SPIRIT Schola rs program, teachers learned how to incorporate energy into their classroom through interactive science experiments and games. Teachers also toured the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum where they learned about the geological, technical and cultural aspects of oil in West Texas.
ConocoPhillips will host a total of 24 energy workshops across the United Stated during 2008.
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