CSEE’s Outreach program educates people in all walks of life on issues relating to energy, unconventional oil and gas development and the environment. Originally CSEE reached out primarily to university students, then grew over the years to develop great educational relationships with community groups, government agencies and regulators, professional societies and the general public. We focused on the many technical and business aspects of unconventional oil and gas development, including the important environmental issues that are key components of successful development. Within the past few years, responding to the need for society to understand the critical role that energy and energy production play in all of our lives, CSEE Outreach has taken on the role of providing energy literacy and knowledge across society through our partnership with the University of Alberta. We jointly developed a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) entitled “21st Century Energy Transition – How do We Make it Work?”. Please see the MOOC page for more information and a direct link to the Energy Transitions MOOC. CSEE tailors presentations to the background and needs of the audience. When speaking to technical audiences such as University geoscience and engineering students, we focus on technical issues, showing students how their education can be applied to unconventional oil and gas development and the many critical associated environmental issues such as water resources and methane emissions.

For community groups and more diverse audiences, we speak more generally defining unconventional oil and gas, and we focus more on environmental issues that concern the public more directly.

CSEE Outreach works to address the requirements of specific groups and the reasons for the presentation. We structure talks and interactive sessions ranging from short topics such as induced seismicity to sessions ranging up to a full day, addressing larger topics such as a comprehensive introduction to unconventional oil and gas, or broad treatments of environmental and energy issues. For all audiences, we distinguish scientific and technical / operational facts from “common knowledge”, media reports, and misinformation. We strive to invoke the principles of critical thought and strategic sustainability, and emphasize the need to achieve balance between human welfare, economics and environmental protection.

The CSEE Outreach program is constantly evolving to stay current with technical and business developments, and societal needs.

Our current presentations include:

• Unconventional Oil & Gas (Geology focus)
• Unconventional Oil & Gas (Engineering focus)
• Unconventionals and the Environment Energy Transition Principles
• Applying Subsurface Skills
  • Helium and lithium exploration
  • Geothermal Energy
  • Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS)
• Listening to Advocates – a Primer on Advocacy

These are all available as one-hour presentations, but we also offer expanded full-day seminars and webinars to examine specific topics in greater detail.

For more information on these presentations please contact CSEE directly.

The Value of Outreach-Testimonials DOB Outreach Article (Nov 2017)