HOUSTON (Oct. 21, 2011) – Lone Star Corporate College will present two “Understanding Energy” professional development seminars as part of the new Lone Star College Networking Lunch Series.
These first two seminars will be held on Friday, Nov. 4 and Friday, Dec. 2 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Lone Star Community Building, 5000 Research Forest Drive in The Woodlands.
The seminars are non-technical and are geared toward anyone interested in learning the background of the energy industry, including new hires to the energy industry and non-technical energy company employees. In addition, technical energy company employees who want to expand their industry perspective would also benefit from these seminars, which will also explore the energy industry from an economic and geopolitical viewpoint.
The Nov. 4 presentation will be “Understanding Energy: Oil, Natural Gas and Transportation.” Attendees will get an overview of drilling, production and refining processes and learn how the United States fits into the world energy picture. The basics of oil geology and extraction, causes of gasoline price fluctuation, an explanation of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and the debate between shale gas and hydraulic fracking will also be discussed.
The second seminar, set for Friday, Dec. 2, will be “Understanding Energy: Electricity, Nuclear and Alternatives.” Participants will learn about popular energy topics in the news media, including how U.S. energy consumption and the use of “green energy” compares to other countries, how the U.S. can sustain its current levels of energy production, and what the cause for fear is related to nuclear plants. In addition, attendees will also hear the case for buying ? or not buying ? hybrid vehicles, and whether or not installing home solar panels is a good consumer investment.
Karen Oganowski, the presenter for both seminars, has 25 years’ experience with General Electric Co., first in the GE Aircraft Engines supply chain division before joining GE Energy to negotiate contracts in Europe and Japan for power generation and gas transmission gas turbines. Following her time with GE, Oganowski has served as a consultant for several major oil companies and is affiliated with the Executive Service Corps of Houston as a consultant for structuring information technology projects for non-profit organizations.
In addition, Oganowski works with the World Affairs Council of Houston to structure and speak at its annual Student Energy Summit, and serves as Master Docent of the Wiess Energy Hall in the Houston Museum of Natural Science, where she leads energy sessions for groups ranging from grade school students to experienced industry professionals. Oganowski holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Virginia Tech.
With more than 75,000 students in credit classes for fall 2011, and a total enrollment of more than 90,000, Lone Star College System is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area, and the fastest-growing community college system in Texas. Dr. Richard Carpenter is the chancellor of LSCS, which consists of five colleges including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, and LSC-Tomball, six centers, LSC-University Park, LSC-University Center at Montgomery, LSC-University Center at University Park, Lone Star Corporate College, and LSC-Online. To learn more visit LoneStar.edu.
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