CITGO Lemont Refinery and Old Quarry Middle School Host Science Night to Teach Students About Petroleum Refining

(3BL Media) Lemont, IL – June 21, 2012 – CITGO Lemont Refinery employees and Lemont 113A School District co-hosted a Science Night at Old Quarry Middle School to teach students about the petroleum refining process and the career opportunities within the oil industry.  The event covered a variety of subjects including science, engineering, and environmental initiatives.

“Giving kids the chance to get their hands dirty and see the complex ideas broken down right in front of them made all the difference,” said Shqipe Osmani, eighth grade science teacher.  “The CITGO volunteers are so passionate about their work, which made the students excited to learn about everything the night had to offer. It was an unforgettable experience for all of our students, and we are thankful to all the CITGO employees who took the time out to attend.”

Developed to supplement the science curriculum for the eighth grade class, Science Night was composed of hands-on experiments and displays that were created by CITGO Lemont Refinery employees specifically for the event to teach students about environmental protection, personal lab safety, health, chemistry, and engineering. Some examples of the event’s presentations included a demonstration of how the refinery uses an Infrared camera to detect heat and leaks, as well as a demonstration of a miniaturized model of the refinery called the “Glass Tower”. The Glass Tower demonstration offered a hands-on experience for students on the complex refining process by allowing them to physically adjust gauges to affect temperatures on the unit.

In addition to presentations, the students were also invited to actively participate in various experiments throughout the night and demonstrate what they had learned. Some of the experiments included making and racing balloon rockets to display the properties of propulsion, as well as building personal reaction units to see how the combustion of methanol and other products works. Personal safety was also an important component of the curriculum, and CITGO employees brought a wide variety of safety equipment that is used in the refinery for students to try on.

“The night was far more successful than we had ever imagined,” said Pete Colarelli, Government and Public Affairs Manager at the CITGO Lemont Refinery. “Our staff was so excited to have the chance to spend time with the youth in our community and share with them the work that we are so passionate about. The students were a great group of kids to work with, and watching them participate in all of our experiments and be so excited to learn about our work was an extremely rewarding experience.”

The CITGO Lemont Refinery employs more than 800 local residents on a full-time and contract basis in support of the local economy. While Lemont refinery employees produce high quality fuels for a large portion of the network of nearly 6,500 locally owned CITGO stations across the country, they also make a major positive impact on the community. Each year more than 2,500 volunteer hours and thousands of dollars are given in support of community programs such as Muscular Dystrophy Association, United Way and a variety of environmental and preservation programs. For more information on the CITGO Lemont Refinery, visit www.citgorefining.com/Lemont.

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CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter, and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. For more information, visit www.CITGO.com.