About Energy Excursions

Our goal with Energy Excursions is to inspire conversation around global energy challenges and solutions through the development and dissemination of energy-focused content for a variety of audiences: high-school teachers, high-school students, and the general public.

Instructors​

The courses at Energy Excursions were created by faculty members at numerous universities, as well as professionals with a range of industry backgrounds and environmental approaches.

Hilary Clement Olson, Project Director 
Associate Professor of Instruction, The University of Texas at Austin
Michael Arthur
Professor Emeritus of Geosciences, Penn State
Matt Balhoff
Professor, The University of Texas at Austin
Ila Boley
Geoscientist, ExxonMobil, Houston, Texas
Paul Bommer
Senior Distinguished Lecturer, The University of Texas at Austin
Kathy Ellins
Education Specialist, The University of Texas at Austin
Zoya Heidari
Associate Professor, The University of Texas at Austin
Keivan Khaleghi
Keivan Khaleghi
Geothermal Reservoir Analytics Intern, Calpine Corporation, Middletown, California
Larry Lake
Professor, The University of Texas at Austin
Vanessa Núñez-López
Director, Advanced Remediation Technologies Division, U.S. Dept. of Energy
Gwen Olivier headshot
Gwen Olivier
PhD candidate, Texas State University, San Marcos
Jon Olson
Professor, The University of Texas at Austin
Bridget Scanlon
Sr. Research Scientist, The University of Texas at Austin
Dave Yoxtheimer
Hydrogeologist, Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research

Why did the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering develop these courses?​

Our department has a long history of delivering professional development for K-12 teacher. Through the years we have partnered with various organizations to help Texas teachers emphasize the basic science, engineering, and technology that are fundamental to understanding the energy sector in their classrooms. Below is a list of some of our partners throughout the years.

  • UT’s Jackson School of Geosciences
    • Department of Geological Sciences
    • Institute for Geophysics
    • Bureau of Economic Geology
  • Texas Regional Collaboratives for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching
  • UT’s STEM Center
  • Education Service Center Region 13
  • National Science Foundation’s Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences
  • TXESS Revolution program at UT Austin
  • Huston Tillotson University (Special Topics in the Geosciences course for pre-service teachers)
  • GeoFORCE Texas

Energy Doesn’t Exist in a Vacuum

We don’t just look at the energy aspect because it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. There is an important interrelationship between energy, the environment, and the economy. Our faculty, researchers, and staff have expertise in a broad range of energy and related environmental and economic topics. We bring this breadth to the curriculum.

Helping Students Envision Their Future

As we design each course, we think about not only the curriculum and content standards, but how to enable students to envision themselves in various career opportunities in the energy sector. We emphasize careers through profiles of various Texas scientists and engineers who have made significant impacts on the energy sector, not only in Texas but throughout the world. The signature motto of The University of Texas is “What starts here changes the world.” Students and faculty who decide to continue their education and careers at the university do so because they want to matter in the world. We believe our university gives them the opportunity to accomplish this goal. We hope that we convey a sense of this broader university initiative to teachers and students through our courses. And whatever you decide to invest your time and energy in, do it with gusto so that it matters!

Equipping the Public to Make Informed Choices and Decisions

Our content is designed to allow the public to better understand the complexity and challenges that engineering, science and technology are addressing in order to achieve a sustainable energy future. We want to help communities be more cognizant of and educated in their choices and decisions related to the energy resources and production required to meet those demands.  Well-informed citizens are the key to ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all (United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7).

No Hidden Agendas

Energy Excursions is created by experts in the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. Our faculty, researchers, and staff have expertise in a broad range of energy and related environmental topics:

  • Petroleum Geology
  • Petroleum Engineering
  • Geothermal Resources
  • Carbon Storage Technology
  • Petrophysics
  • Geophysics
  • Methane Hydrates
  • Nanoparticle Technology
  • Computational Applied Mathematics
  • Machine Learning
  • Big Data Analytics
  • Sustainable Energy Development

As we design each course, we think about not only the curriculum and content standards, but how to enable students to envision themselves in various career opportunities in the energy sector. Following our university’s mission, we wish to advance society through research, creative activity, scholarly inquiry, and the development and dissemination of new knowledge.

Energy Excursions is produced at The University of Texas at Austin through the collaborative efforts of faculty, researchers and students at the university, as well as colleagues at other universities across the country. Dr. Hilary Olson directs the educational program with support from the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering at the Cockrell School of Engineering.
Web site produced by Disco Learning Media. Site design and production by Jeffrey M. Phillips.