Education

As a science and technology based company, we've adopted education as a key theme of our community outreach, which is composed of several initiatives: SEED (Schlumberger Excellence in Educational Development), the Schlumberger Foundation, and Local Initiatives undertaken by our GeoMarkets as well as employees on their own time.

Passion for learning

SEED is about sharing our passion for learning and science to create opportunities for youth. Founded in 1998, SEED reaches out to young people in underserved schools and provides resources for exploring the world of science. More than 1,500 Schlumberger employee and family volunteers have contributed their time and skills to students and teachers in over 30 countries. Initiatives include educational programs, the Online Science Center, collaborative projects, and the School Network Program.

Foundation for success

A second set of outreach programs is enabled through the Schlumberger Foundation, a non-profit entity that provides grants to external organizations, cofunds eligible GeoMarket outreach programs, and operates its own programs, generally through partnerships. Among its initiatives are: Faculty for the Future to support women in pursuing academic careers in science and technology; the Africa Science Program to create opportunities in advancing research capacity in African institutions; the United World Colleges Scholarship Program to provide scholarships to talented students in developing countries interested in the sciences; and Lab in a Lorry which offers students hands-on experiments and interaction with volunteers using mobile science laboratories.

Catalyzing local initiative

Our staff around the world often initiate local projects themselves. In Chad, for example, funding from the GeoMarket and the Schlumberger Foundation is helping to improve the infrastructure at a school started by a local Schlumberger employee.

Local initiative by managers and employees also helped to direct our response to the December 2004 tsunami and October 2005 earthquake that hit Asia. A disaster reconstruction fund was created to contribute to reconstruction and recovery. To date, 12 projects—each driven by our employees—have been supported in partnership with organizations on the ground. Additionally, financial support is given to employees who have relevant technical skills to contribute through short-term volunteering assignments.

Strong ownership within the GeoMarket is critical to the success of any local undertaking.