As the education director at the Oilfield Energy Center (OEC), I’ve been fortunate to make my passion for educating students and the public about the oil and natural gas industry a rewarding career. Paramount among the OEC’s objectives is its education outreach program, and the Mobile Oilfield Learning Unit (MOLU) is a crucial tool in achieving our goals.

The MOLU’s capability of providing students with hands-on learning about the technologies and sciences involved with the oil and gas industry isn’t cheap. With an initial $1.2 million price tag and daily operational maintenance costs in the thousands, this opportunity wouldn’t be possible without our industry sponsors.

An unbelievable sponsorship came when TXOGA contacted us about sponsoring a 10-week, 50-school, statewide tour of the MOLU. Despite being the largest oil producing state and home to nearly 40 percent of all oil and gas jobs nationwide, many students in Texas don’t know where energy comes from or how many products they use each day that are made through the industry.

I recently joined TXOGA and volunteers from Apache Corp in Houston during week seven, and it was a pleasure to share in the joy of watching students light up with interest and amazement as they experience the science involved in oil and gas.

Whether it’s public education funding, reliable energy, or good, high-paying jobs for Texans, the industry has long been an important one for Texas and communities across the state, and it’s been a pleasure providing the link between high quality of life and this industry to thousands of Texas elementary students during the tour.

Thank you to TXOGA and your member volunteers for sharing in our vision and continuing to invest in the future of Texas.

 – by Doris Tomas, Education Director, Oilfield Energy Center