SCRANTON -- It was an education in an industry that's now a big part of our area. Students at an intermediate school in Scranton got a hands-on lesson Tuesday morning on what lies beneath our feet.
The planetarium at West Scranton Intermediate School was dedicated to what's below, not what's above.
The Mobile Offshore Learning Unit was brought in by Cabot Oil and Gas It's the first time it's been out of the Gulf States. The unit gives students a hands-on experience in the oil and gas industry.
"We learned how oil is in rocks and if oil is in rocks, it can go out sometime," said seventh-grader Alexis Valentin.
Valentin was one of the students going from station to station, learning different things about the oil and gas along the way. She's not the only one.
"It's hands-on learning," said seventh-grader Haley White. "Hands-on learning helps kids better than just reading a book."
This is also part of the future, offering a little guidance on what's possible after high school graduation. This could help steer young people toward careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.
A station on how to be an engineer looks like Legos, but it's actually an exercise in putting the right things in the right places at the right time.
Justin Gockley isn't sure what he wants to do. He has quite a while before he decides, but what he saw helps.
"I like to learn about oil because I might want to do something with it when I grow up."
The Mobile Offshore Learning Unit could be coming to a school near you. It's currently on a tour of eastern and central Pennsylvania.