February 7, 2008 [West Siberia, Russia]

	Students brainstorming and at work on their cars of the future.

By Alexey Pakhomov
SEED Volunteer & General Maintenance Technician, Schlumberger Russia

Recently the idea of holding a workshop to teach children safe driving techniques came to my mind. I have children of my own and would like to share my knowledge with them, but how to do it presented a challenge.

Many children are not fans of lectures and find them to be boring. Images and visual aids can stir emotions, but usually not for a long time. I decided that the only approach that imitates real life experience and equips children with necessary knowledge is a game.  Perhaps through games they learn things that stay with them for years or for their entire life. The SEED program offered a way to plant the small seed that would produce fruit.

So, here is my story …

It is a well-known fact that accidents on the road in Russia and around the world are the third leading cause of violent deaths and injuries following deadly diseases and natural catastrophes.  Road accidents are the scourge of our time—a global problem that affects all of us and each of us individually because contemporary society can't exist without cars. Cars are the most dangerous kind of transportation. 

From the very beginning of my career at Schlumberger I have been taking special training courses for safe-driving instructors. These courses opened my eyes to safe driving philosophy. I had some teaching experience and was genuinely interested and excited about the opportunity of teaching a driving safety course. Thanks to the support and assistance of Svetlana Belova, the SEED Coordinator in Russia, and Mr. Victor Nemchinov, the Principal of the SEED School in Tyumen (West Siberia), I was able to make my dream come true … to share my experience and knowledge with the younger generation of students at our first SmartDrive workshop at a SEED school. And, we were able to do it on February 7, which was National Science Day in Russia.

From the beginning, we stuck to the idea of presenting safe driving techniques in a game format, called Club of the Quick Witted. This game is a popular activity in Russia, during which teams compete with each other in a friendly, humorous, and, of course, quick-witted way. Coincidentally, the Club of the Quick Witted originated in Tyumen in the 1960s with local college and university students and later became a national tradition that is still popular today.

Students of all levels, elementary through high school, as well as their teachers and many parents, participated in our SEED version of the game. The Club of the Quick Witted question and answer session would last 2 ½ hours and cover road safety rules, safe auto driving principles and public transportation. The winning team was to be the one that gave the most accurate and comprehensive answers to the questions.

	Making the final presentations (above) and displaying their certificates.

After the Q&A session, there was to be a model-making and presentation session to invent and display the car of the future. This session would reinforce the learning.

First, we formed four teams of participants and outlined the workshop topics of Person, Automobile, Road, and Environment. Tools and equipment were provided by the SEED Program. We also had a safety session at the beginning of the contest.

The parents in attendance selected jurors from the audience and appointed Victor, Svetlana, one actively involved parent and myself as head jurors. I was honored to also be nominated as the expert for the contest. We came up with 30 questions for the teams and allocated 30 seconds for each answer. I prepared the questions, answers and short interactive presentations as illustrations for the contest.

During the contest, I was glad to see everybody enthusiastically discussing the questions and preparing thorough answers. I believe that my presentation was a success since the audience was very engaged, and the level of participation was unprecedented. Even the youngest children were seeking out the answers from their own experience and knowledge and did it together with the rest of their team. It was a real brainstorm session.

The jurors listened to every answer with visible curiosity and seriousness. After the answers were given by students, I provided the correct answer in the form of either an oral presentation or a short video clip, with an example to illustrate the situation. The event yielded many discoveries for all.

After the Q&A session, the students who had worked on the models of cars of the future made their presentations and defended their projects. Children presented not only the models but also details of the environments where their cars would function. The projects were awarded prizes in one of four categories: The Safest, The Most Original Design, The Most Useful and Practical, and The Most Environmentally Friendly.

During the presentations, some interesting events occurred. An unintentional crash test took place when a model of the safest automobile accidentally fell on the floor from a considerable height. Out of four passengers, all play-dough figurines, none was injured.  All of them remained buckled despite the fact that all four seat belts were different.  Another group presented a super-automobile that could serve as a patrol car, medical emergency vehicle, and a rescue and evacuation transport. A moon automobile was equipped with all of the out-of-this-world features, such as a remote interface for drivers and an accident escape module. Another innovative approach was taken by a team that presented a car that runs on various alternative fuels and is equipped with an accident protection shell that is activated when an accident occurs. I can go on forever telling you about the creativity and marvels at this event.

	A few of the judges displaying some of the student projects:Viktor Nemchinov, school principal (top left); Tatiana Gets, school teacher (bottom left); Alexey Pakhomov, SEED volunteer (top right); and Svetlana Belova, SEED Russia Coordinator (bottom right).

Prizes were awarded to everybody at the conclusion of the workshop.  Participants received souvenirs from SEED and Smart Drive brochures from Schlumberger as well as my own presentation on CD with animations and valuable information. But the greatest success stemmed from the format of the event—that is, the game through which the students obtained important experience and knowledge.

I am grateful to those who participated in our event and to those who helped me organize and hold this successful and fun workshop, especially to Svetlana Belova and Mr. Victor Nemchinov for their support.  I also gained invaluable insight into how youth-oriented events should be done. There is no doubt that teamwork and a game approach to learning produce tons of new ideas that are indispensable in work and personal life. Now we need to use our ideas in action!

This is my presentation. Take care of yourselves, those you hold close to your heart, and the world you live in.  Make it even better!