OOGEEP Elementary STEM workshop

Ohio elementary teachers, we’ve got great activities for your classroom!
– Formation: Are fossil fuels renewable or non-renewable? Experiments show how the earth “cooked” (heat and pressure) ancient plant and animal life to create fossil fuels. Create infographics about geologic time and the rock cycle.
– Migrating & Trapping: Is crude oil and natural gas found in large lakes underneath the earth’s surface? Experiments show how crude oil and natural gas are trapped in porous rocks. Create 2D and 3D rock models to demonstrate porosity and permeability.
– Exploration: How do we find these valuable fossil fuels? Use contour mapping to look below the earth’s surface and “see” rock formations. Create models and calibrate measurements using blank grids.
– Drilling & Well Stimulation: How do we recover crude oil and natural gas? Use engineering design to create two models: a weight-bearing derrick and a working oil well applying principles related to porosity, permeability and flow of fluids to the surface.
– Producing: What happens to crude oil and natural gas once it is produced? How is it transported? Create a model pipeline and pipeline “pig” and apply principles of force, motion, velocity and engineering design.
– Refining: How are crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGLs) transformed into useful products? Use chromatography to demonstrate the refining process. Use a model to understand how the refining process works.
– Petrochemicals & Products: What other products besides transportation fuels are made from crude oil and natural gas? Explore a few of the 6,000 petroleum-based products. Design and implement a materials test for different petrochemical-based fabrics.

STEM & geology teacher workshops provide Ohio’s educators with factual knowledge about the natural gas and oil industry, along with the history, science, and geology behind it, to take back to their classrooms. Career connections are incorporated into the curriculums and lessons in order to help educate students about all of the opportunities that are available within the natural gas and oil industry. Participants receive curriculum books that meet state and national standards, and include background information and multiple hands-on activities for each unit. Teachers are also equipped with supplies for many of the curriculum activities, and numerous other educational and resourceful materials. Each workshop is worth .7 CEU credits and when applicable, teachers have the opportunity to attend field trips and acquire Ashland graduate credits.

Thanks to Ohio’s natural gas and oil producers, these workshops and materials are provided free of charge to Ohio educators!

Register here