Nathaly (far right) introduces her students to the SEED Water testing activity.

My name is Nathaly Famiglietti. I am a geophysical engineer and a SEED Volunteer. I would like to share how I have been able to combine these two passions within my life.

I have worked for Schlumberger since 1999 in seismic interpretation and data processing. In 2006 I became an Instructor for the Data Processing (DP) Start course, an 8-week introductory class on geology, geophysics, and seismic data processing for WesternGeco new hires. I started volunteering for SEED in 2002 because I enjoyed sharing my knowledge and time with others, especially kids! I have volunteered for SEED as an Askable Expert, written six Science Center articles with experiments, and helped with translations.

When I joined the WesternGeco training department, I wanted to find a way to continue supporting SEED without abandoning my training duties. Inspiration came when I was discussing SEED with my DP Start students. I was amazed at how little they knew about it.

I decided to incorporate SEED into DP Start. My manager, Torrance Haggerty, supported the idea, as did Michael Tempel, SEED’s Educational Programs Manager. Together we created the agenda for a one-day visit to the SEEDLAB in Sugar Land. During the DP Start course, trainees not only learn about SEED, but they engage in the same hands-on learning with SEED materials–such as the Water Testing Kit, Solar Energy SEEDPACK, and GoGo boards—as students in SEED schools do. We have held four DP Start workshops in 2007 and the feedback has been positive.

The students and instructor from a recent DP Start class on their
way to the Sugar Land SEEDLAB.

The ideal outcome of the DP Start initiative would be to increase awareness of and interest in SEED, and to inspire more volunteering. At least half of the WesternGeco’s DP new hires from around the world pass through my DP Start class in Houston, so we are expanding the knowledge of SEED everywhere with this workshop.

I believe all new hires should be given more information about SEED from the moment they join the company. How? A good start would be to include a SEED day in every orientation course. My advice to all managers and employees is not to think about how much time you will "lose" by volunteering; think about how much you will give and how many people (especially children) will benefit from you, your knowledge and your time!

—Nathaly Famiglietti
    DP Start Instructor, WesternGeco

		The SEED trip in DP Start was fantastic. It would only be better if we had a second day to work with kids directly. I look forward to volunteering with SEED in the near future.     —Brian Weir, DP Start participant, March 2007 The projects we saw at the SEEDLab seemed like a good way to approach helping the community since they are very in tune with the Schlumberger view that people are the strongest asset. What better way to reach children than by teaching the people they deal with most, their teachers.    —David Solorio, DP Start participant, November 2007