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Newsletter #9, November 2007
In 2006, the University of Colorado launched the CU Energy Initiative to address the scientific, political, social and economic challenges of developing and implementing renewable and sustainable energy. Should you wish subscribe to our mailing list, please click here.
Energy Education
This edition of the Energy Initiative Newsletter focuses on energy education: what CU-Boulder is doing to train the next generation of energy leaders. Much is happening on campus: We have a number of exciting new energy courses to be offered spring 2008, we’ve just hired our new energy education director, and there are ambitious plans in place for new energy curricula. For details, read on!
Energy Education Committee: Update |
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A group of energy-minded folks at CU-Boulder got together last year to discuss what CU should do to meet the need for energy education. That committee’s recommendations, summarized in the Energy Education Committee Final Report, included offering energy certificate programs to both undergraduate and graduate students. Also recommended was the hiring of an energy education director, with explicit responsibility to lead the effort to make CU-Boulder a leader in energy education.
Since the report was released last spring, we’ve made considerable progress. With the kind support of Susan Avery (former Vice-Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School) and Stein Sture (current Vice-Chancellor for Research and Dean of the Graduate School), funds were made available from their office and from Provost Phil DiStefano to implement the committee’s recommendations. Our new energy education director was just appointed, as of November 1 (see article below). We’re on our way to establishing CU as a leader in energy education. |
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Introducing Our New Energy Education Director |
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Paul Komor, who has taught at CU-Boulder since 1997 and chaired the energy education committee, has accepted the one-year, 50% position of “interim energy education director.” Paul currently teaches energy courses in the Civil Engineering Department and the Environmental Studies program, and manages Environmental Studies’ graduate energy curriculum. Paul spent 2006 as the MAP/Ming Professor of Energy and the Environment at Stanford University, and was formerly with the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). He can be reached at komor@colorado.edu.
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My plans for year 1: A note from the Energy Education Director
Yet another plaintive email just arrived, from a friend in the energy business desperately seeking new energy-savvy employees. The demand for energy-knowledgeable people vastly exceeds the supply, and many energy jobs are sitting vacant.
Is this merely a short-term demand/supply imbalance? I think not. Investment funds are flowing into energy businesses, innovative energy policies are popping up all over the globe, and new energy challenges arrive all the time. Just last month, for example, Kansas decided to not allow construction of two planned new coal-burning power plants – leaving the state scrambling to meet future electricity needs. Will renewables and efficiency suffice? Trained energy practitioners and researchers, who can assess energy issues from multiple perspectives, can help find the answer.
In my new position, I’ll be working to develop energy curricula that will give our students the skills and knowledge to meet society’s energy challenges. First on my to-do list is to launch new energy certificate programs for undergraduate and graduate students. After that, I’d like to explore professional/non-degree programs that could provide energy knowledge to Colorado companies and, via distance learning technologies, wider audiences as well. Other ideas I’ll be pondering include whether CU should offer a formal energy degree, how CU can work with other universities in Colorado on energy education, and how to make interdisciplinary education work in a university organized around disciplines. The long-term goal, however, remains clear: establish CU-Boulder as a leader in energy education. To that goal, I welcome your suggestions, ideas, and comments: email me at komor@colorado.edu or stop by my office at 1333 Grandview, room 210.
-Paul Komor
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Energy Courses at CU-Boulder |
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The list of renewable and sustainable energy-related courses at CU-Boulder keeps growing. Courses offered spring 2008 semester include:
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- ECEN 2060 “Renewable and Energy Efficient Power Systems”
- ENVS 3070/PHYS 3070 “Energy and the Environment”
- AREN 3130 “Building Energy Laboratory”
- BCOR 4000 ‘Assessing Energy Technologies”
- ENVS 4100-001 “Energy Policy”
- ENVS 4100-002 “Carbon Neutral CU”
- MCEN 4228-001 “Wind Energy”
- ECEN 4517/5517 “Renewable Energy and Power Electronics Laboratory”
- ECEN 5017 ‘Renewable and Conventional Energy Issues”
- ENVS 5820 “Renewable Energy Policy”
- LAWS 7132 “Energy, Insecurity, and International Law”
For details on these courses, and a complete list of energy-related courses offered at CU-Boulder, see the Energy Initiative education page. |
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Energy Course Spotlight: ENVS 4100-002, “Carbon-Neutral CU” |
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In early 2007, Chancellor Peterson signed a commitment to work towards carbon neutrality for the CU-Boulder campus. A key component of that commitment is education – and Dave Newport, Director of the CU Environmental Center, will be teaching a new course in spring 2008 that explores how CU can best achieve carbon neutrality. In ENVS 4100-002, “Carbon-neutral CU,” students will study the technical approaches to carbon neutrality, develop an analytical framework by which to evaluate the options, and draft a strategic plan for implementation. Guest speakers from Boulder County, the Governor’s Energy Office, the Rocky Mountain Institute, and other organizations will provide students with different perspectives on carbon neutrality. Notes Dave, “This is a senior-level capstone course that will provide practical skills and critical thinking abilities.”
For more information on this and other energy-related courses at CU, see the Energy Initiative education page. |
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