The year-long museum exhibit “Offshore Drilling: The Promise of Discovery” currently installed at the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum in College Station, Texas, takes visitors on an in depth, behind the scenes journey of the highly technical and incredibly precise process of finding and safely extracting oil and gas offshore.

As a key sponsor and exhibitor, Schlumberger not only designed and built an interactive display for the museum, but also helped shape the entire exhibit space—working closely with the museum's curator and staff to strike the right balance between educational and engaging. 

Miriam Winsten, Schlumberger technology engagement director, conceived the idea of an interactive display utilizing a series of touch-screen tablets that interface with 12 video modules playing on a series of large flat-screen monitors. Each module walks the user through key steps of the offshore E&P process—from learning about the origins of fossil fuels and how hydrocarbons are found beneath the seafloor, to how wireline technology acquires information from a well thousands of feet beneath the sea and then transmits that data to an oil rig on the ocean's surface. The touch screen tablets and monitors are integrated into a room-size display that simulates the look, feel and sounds of an offshore drilling rig.

“The Schlumberger display walks visitors through the entire E&P cycle: exploring, drilling, producing and completing,” says Miriam. “We wanted to tell a story that would bring everything in the room into context, while being technically accurate and interesting for a variety of ages and learners.”

Offshore Drilling: The Promise of Discovery covers all aspects of the offshore oil and gas industry, focusing particularly on the industry’s rich history and its development throughout the years. In addition to the Schlumberger display, the exhibit features installations by several other energy-related companies, including videos and audio narrations by industry pioneers such as President George H. W. Bush who recount their personal experiences of working offshore. Schlumberger designed the display to be dynamic. The modules can be updated or changed to accommodate advances in E&P technology and the industry. The goal is to continuously educate the public about how the industry works with information presented in an interactive format and language that easily understood by a young student, but equally engaging for an adult. 

The exhibit will run through February 1, 2015. When the exhibit closes, the Schlumberger display will move to its permanent home at the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum in Galveston, Texas. There it will serve as a long-term educational tool for visitors.

For more information about the "Offshore Drilling: The Promise of Discovery" exhibit, visit the Offshore Drilling Exhibit page.