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Success Stories

Baker Hughes STEM

tedc-baker-hughes-photo1.png
Industry
Global Energy Technology
In Tomball For
10 Years
Program
Youth STEM

It’s now been more than a decade since Baker Hughes, a global energy technology company with 58,000 employees worldwide, opened the doors to its $55 million Western Hemisphere Education Center in Tomball. The facility, which trains employees from across the globe, was cited as a win for Tomball because of the way the Baker Hughes hub was expected to impact the city’s economy through sales, hotel and property taxes. However, 10 years later, Baker Hughes’ local influence is being felt beyond just a fiscal fashion.

Passion projects promote Baker Hughes’ core values

Through its commitment to business, Baker Hughes is driven to provide innovative solutions to help address our planet’s burgeoning energy demand. Through its commitment to community, the leader in energy technology is anchored through its core values of grow, lead, collaborate and care. Hometown communities like Tomball have benefitted from Baker Hughes’ focus on culture.

“We have a large footprint here in Houston, and Baker Hughes employees are passionate about contributing to the communities where we live and work by sharing our time, talent and resources,” Adrienne Lynch, Global Director of Public Relations for Baker Hughes, illustrated.

According to Lynch, more than 400 Baker Hughes employees in the greater Houston area donated more than 8,000 hours of volunteer time to support various charitable causes in/around Harris County between January and December 2024. Additionally, the Baker Hughes Foundation contributed $75,000 to local charities through the American Red Cross after Hurricane Beryl.

Lynch, an alumna of Tomball Independent School District, is proud to point out how her employer is a longtime supporter of education – specifically STEM related activities. Baker Hughes has partnered with the Tomball Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) and Tomball ISD to create a science, technology, engineering and math program to bring together Baker Hughes professionals and Tomball ISD eighth and ninth grade students.

Employee resource becomes educational resource

Raj Sen, a Senior Systems Engineer who has worked for Baker Hughes more than 30 years, serves as a leader in employee outreach for the company. 15 years ago, while sitting across a kitchen table during a Baker Hughes employee resource group meeting, Sen says he and other members of the Asian Pacific American Forum forged the idea for a STEM program to offer students an opportunity to partner with Baker Hughes employees in hands-on, interactive exploration of STEM careers.

“We were thinking about how we could contribute to the community,” Raj recalled. “And it was very clear we should leverage some of our strengths - which is the knowledge about math, science and technology. It’s a win-win for both sides.”

Sen has taken part in the Baker Hughes/Tomball ISD STEM collaboration all three years of its existence. In all, Raj has worked with three school districts in the greater Houston area to help cultivate the next generation and says he’ll consider it a success if he’s able to influence just one student to pursue a career in STEM.

“Our mission is to showcase in front of the kids what the opportunities are in the area of science, technology and math,” Sen noted. “At the end of the day, they will be the ones to decide what career path they choose – but we want to make sure that they are exposed fully to the technology and the science related career paths so they can make the right decision for their career.”

Raj Sen
Senior Systems Engineer

STEM program is rewarding, award-winning

Just launched during the 2022-23 school year, Baker Hughes’ STEM program with Tomball ISD has already been recognized with an Excellence in Economic Development Award from the International Economic Development Council. Raj says he recently heard a teacher admit they did not anticipate the strides students would make and the ground they would cover during the one-semester opportunity.

“We’re able to channel our passion towards developing and growing these students to become more productive citizens in the country,” Sen said.

During class time with Baker Hughes employees and on student tours of company facilities, students engage with employees, view work being done in equipment labs, ask questions and become excited about future career opportunities through real life applications.

“We feel it’s through these STEM related activities where many of our employees can provide time and talent to drive the next generation of engineers, innovators, communicators and everything that’s required to bring energy forward and energize change,” Lynch added.

More than 10 years after opening its Western Hemisphere Education Center, Baker Hughes’ impact on Tomball can be measured far beyond the 100-acre state-of-the-art facility located at the intersection of FM 2920 and FM 2978.