Energy Science and Technology Institute
The University of Texas at Austin’s Energy Science & Technology Institute introduces STEM high school teachers to the latest technological innovations in the Texas energy industry, with specific applications in the areas of subsurface engineering and geology. The energy industry has some of the fastest rates of technological change and engineering innovation in the marketplace. A better technical understanding of energy science, engineering and technology provides teachers with the foundation to better instruct, inspire and mentor their students for potential opportunities in an industry that consistently provides hundreds of thousands of direct jobs to Texans.
The five-day summer institute is led by numerous faculty from the Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering. The program includes hands-on activities and labs, discussion sessions, breakout sessions, and online coursework that bring a focus to energy activities in Texas. Participants have the opportunity to meet faculty and discuss technology, engineering, careers, and other topics in an informal setting. A variety of energy themes are covered during each workshop, such as the global energy marketplace, petroleum engineering, water-energy connection, energy portfolio mix, geothermal energy, carbon storage, and hydrogen storage.
The activities on Petroleum Geology, Drilling and Well Logging were very interesting and have many applications for my students.
-Energy Science & Technology Institute Participant
Each teacher receives a $900 stipend for participating in the institute and providing an abbreviated version of the institute in their school district during the following school year.
Institute Resources
Our summer institute introduces teachers to the free, online curriculum developed by UT Austin’s subject matter and educational experts for high school STEM students and teachers: Energy Excursions (energyexcursions.com).
Energy Excursions is for high school teachers seeking to easily include energy topics in their classroom to meet required content standards, to showcase the integrated nature of STEM using applied energy topics, and to provide their students with online curriculum that covers the various levels of Blooms Taxonomy, culminating in a design challenge for the student.
Energy Excursions gives both teachers and students a window into the interdisciplinary nature of the skills, knowledge, and creativity required to provide energy to a global society, as well as an understanding of the challenges that make energy projects exciting and the oversight and considerations that keep these projects safe for humans and their environment.
UT Austin’s Hildebrand Department of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering designed Energy Excursions to make it easy for teachers to peruse the standards (TEKS) and practices (CollegeBoard) aligned with our online curriculum. That’s why you’ll find easy-to-use, searchable features for each course, lesson, and topic page we present as part of our curriculum.
Easy-to-use, free, and no logins or memberships required — a real-world, energy curriculum aligned to the essential knowledge and skills of the subjects teachers instruct. Check us out at at energyexcursions.com.
Important Information
Institute Dates: July 14–18, 2025
Applications: Apply here by Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, at 5 p.m.
Questions: Contact Sabrina Ewald
Resources: Energy Excursions (free for teachers)
