Pasta, beans and vegetable oil: bringing carbon capture and storage to summer camp

What did you do this summer? 

For more than 1,300 talented middle school and high school students in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, the answer is: "I learned about carbon capture and storage." 

That’s right. For the ninth consecutive year, we teamed up with Rice University’s Tapia Center for Excellence and Equity in Education to offer a unique week-long summer camp that teaches students about this important tool to help fight climate change. 

Our goal with this program is to ignite a passion for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) among young people, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, and empower a new generation of STEM leaders. 

Click the video below to see what all the excitement is about and scroll down to learn more.

Getting creative on carbon storage 

ExxonMobil is a global leader in carbon capture and storage – which enables carbon dioxide (CO₂) to be captured and safely stored deep underground instead of emitted into the atmosphere. We’ve already agreed to store up to about 5.5 million metric tons per year of CO₂ for industrial customers, with more to come.

But how do you teach young people in a classroom about this sophisticated large-scale technology? 

We got creative.

Working in teams of four, the campers built a detailed model of an underground saltwater reservoir inside a plastic cup. With the materials at their disposal – Play-Doh, dry pasta, and uncooked beans – they recreated the process of storing captured CO₂ in the reservoir, then securing it beneath a thick layer of caprock. 

Using vegetable oil to symbolize liquified CO₂, the teams competed to maximize the amount of CO₂ in their miniature reservoir, displacing the water under the caprock.

“Their energy, determination and enthusiasm from the hands-on curriculum and experience was inspiring, as they presented and shared what they had learned,” said Nicholas Medina, public and stakeholder engagement manager at ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, which leads our work with these camps. “They had a voice and felt empowered to have a role in changing and improving their future and our world.” 

Expanding the reach of STEM 

We’ve supported the Tapia Center’s summer STEM program, offered as a week-long residential camp at Rice University, since its inception in 2015. The ExxonMobil Foundation gives $100,000 a year to fund scholarships, and our employees volunteer in a variety of roles, including as presenters and competition judges.

This year, we supported the expansion of this award-winning program to two new schools:  Southern University in Louisiana and Jackson State University in Mississippi. They are two of the country’s largest historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). 

Students, faculty, and staff from both schools helped manage the camp’s daily activities. Which meant students not only got an opportunity to learn about carbon storage, but also to be surrounded by potential role models. 

“Seeing all that ExxonMobil has invested into them makes them feel like, ‘These people believe I can do this, so I can’,” said William Bradford, a math teacher in the Jackson public school district and camp instructor. “It lets them see that this is something attainable.” 

STEM curriculum for students 

What’s more, we’re planning to reach even more students in Louisiana in the coming years. This year, we offered our STEM camp curriculum to teachers in Ascension Parish, so they can incorporate it into their educational programming. This expansion could potentially reach thousands of students. 

Why the focus on Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas? 

Because the U.S. Gulf Coast currently is the epicenter for growth in carbon capture and storage, which will enable industries to meet emissions goals and the growing global demand for lower-carbon products. ExxonMobil wants to help young people in these states, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, prepare for STEM careers in the future.

Judging time 

But what’s summer camp without some healthy competition?

Teams were given 20 minutes to build their model carbon storage reservoir. When the timer stopped, ExxonMobil employees judged each team’s model. Judges were looking for the team who built a reservoir with no leaks, captured the most “carbon”, and displaced the most water.

Not every camper walked away with a prize, but they all walked away with a better view of what a STEM career could look like.

“I learned a lot about myself,” said one female student at the Jackson camp. “It feels like I’m really a scientist.”

To learn more about ExxonMobil and the ExxonMobil Foundation’s investment in STEM education, click here.

For more information about ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions, click here.