ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Petroleum engineering

Petroleum engineering is like being a doctor for the earth. Just like how doctors help people stay healthy, petroleum engineers help find and extract the oil and gas buried under the ground to make sure we have enough fuel to power our cars, trucks, and machines.

Imagine you have a straw in a soda can, and you want to get all the soda out. You have to suck the soda up the straw - that's how oil and gas are extracted from deep beneath the earth.

Petroleum engineers use special tools and techniques to find where oil and gas are hiding underground. Then, they build wells and use big machines to pump the oil and gas up to the surface. They work very hard to make sure the oil and gas come up safely, without harming the environment or people living nearby.

Once the oil and gas are out of the ground, petroleum engineers figure out how to best use them. They might work with other engineers and scientists to make sure we're using these resources in the most efficient and clean way possible.

Overall, petroleum engineering is all about making sure we have enough fuel and energy to keep our world running - just like how your body needs fuel to run, too!