CLASS ACT

Students see .I
chemistry
. .
In own
bacl{yard
Murphy Oil tour a .
.learning expo/ience

By Barry Lemoine I.
C9ntributing writer

Applying knowledge to the

real world was the aim of Chal-
mette High Schoolteacher Lin4i
Kooke when she took her chem-
istry students on a tour of the
Murphy OilRefinery in Meraux.
Part field trip, part seminar,
the excursion was designed to
expose the students to the appli-
cations of hydrocarbon petro~
leum refining, a field of organic
chemistry. ~
Joining Rooke's giftedchem-
istry students were members
of the school's new engineering
class. Rooke said both groups
witnessed processes covered in
. class, including chemical reac-
tions such as distillation and
'cafalytic cracking. Rooke said
guest speakers and experts'
used models as part of each
demonstration. -
 ~"They used various hands-on:
models that showed how crude
oil is heated, cooled and pressur- -
ized to isolate the various useful·
. hydrocarbons that go intomak-
ing gasoline and ,diesel," she said.
"They also covered the econom-
ics and planning aspects of the
= ~busiReSSf\vhieft-~lffifrh0w-their-~
product is continually alternating
to meet supply and demand."
The tour also included anoth-
er critical aspect of the refinery's
business, Kooke said. .
"It also exposed the students .• :
to one of Murphy's primary con: .
cerns, which is community and -
environmental safe,ty, which is
regulated by state and federal'
. guidelines," she said ..
Kooke'said allowing students
to see science in action was a
great way to end the semester.
i'The presentations, the tout: -
and the one-on-one communi-·
c~ticin with va~ious mechanical, .
electrical and chemical engineers
greatly demonstrated the corre-
lation between math and science,
which is a vital asset," she (said ..
"And we got to see that rig)1tin:
• oUr own backyard." -
.........
 ........
f Barry Lemoine is an employee ofthe St.
Bernard Parish school system. He writes
about school-related events. He can be
reached at barrybravo@yahoo.com .

....
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