The Fall 2011 Rio Grande Valley Science Association Conference was attended by over 500 teachers from across the Rio Grande Valley, October 7-8, 2011, at PSJA (Pharr-San Juan-Alamo) North High School in Pharr, Texas. STORE provided the opening speaker and several workshops for the conference, highlighting energy sources and challenges, as well as carbon sequestration.
Dr. Jon E. Olson of STORE was the featured speaker for the Friday night (October 7, 7pm) opening of the conference at PSJA North High School. His presentation, Energy Sources and Energy Challenges, reviewed this country’s energy usage and what role it plays in our way of life. There was some light-hearted quizzing to assess the audience’s energy IQ. Fossil fuels and alternatives were compared. Technologies for climate mitigation, namely carbon sequestration and the use of CO2 in enhanced oil recovery methods were also presented. The latest headline in the news, hydraulic fracturing for shale gas, was briefly discussed in the context of its impact on water resources and the potential for earthquakes. Finally, the opportunity for energy careers in petroleum and geosystems engineering was discussed. The lecture was free and open to the general public.