‘Energy Futures’ theme semester examines political and social dimensions of energy policy

April 22, 2008
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ANN ARBOR—As oil prices rocket above $110 a barrel and ethanol production fuels the debate about rising food prices, the future of energy has taken center stage across the world.

Every aspect of society depends on clean, affordable, flexible, secure and safe energy resources. Yet fossil fuels currently provide 90 percent of the world’s energy and create 75 percent of the carbon emissions contributing to global warming.

However, creating new forms of energy presents formidable challenges that go beyond engines, fuel and solar power. University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts 2008 LSA Theme Semester, “Energy Futures: Society, Innovation and Technology,” will examine the human and social behaviors associated with energy demand.

Coordinated by LSA’s Center for the Study of Complex Systems and LSA Student Government, the theme semester will feature internationally renowned scholars in political science, economics, sociology, anthropology, psychology, public policy and survey research, who will examine the cultural, historical and social aspects of energy policy.

A course will be offered in the social science of energy and other courses will include energy components. A writing contest entitled “Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?” will ask students to write fiction, nonfiction, poetry or drama about experiences with energy failures.

Students will be invited to participate in campus-wide competitions to create energy innovations. First-year students will read the book “Power to the People: How the coming energy revolution will transform an industry, change our lives and may even save the planet,” by Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran, as part of an energy-focused summer reading program. Lectures and talks with the author are also planned in the fall. A series of public lectures will examine social science in energy.

The energy theme year will give the University community a unique opportunity to explore the multi-dimensional aspects of energy from a cultural, political and historical perspective that goes beyond technical considerations, said LSA Dean Terrence McDonald.

“The University of Michigan has unparalleled strength in the social sciences and a unique ability to examine complex topics from a collaborative interdisciplinary approach,” McDonald said. “Marshaling these forces to examine energy will give students deeper understanding of a topic that is vital to both Michigan and the rest of the world.”

Theme semesters have been an integral part of U-M’s teaching and learning experience for more than 20 years, offering an interdisciplinary approach on topics as varied as China, civil rights, food and citizenship. The winter 2009 theme year will study the universe and the fall 2009 semester will focus on museums.

Carl Simon, director of the Center for the Study of Complex Systems, (CSCS) said the energy theme semester will also highlight the historical importance of technological innovation in the evolution of society’s use of energy.

“The social and policy aspects of energy are as important as the engineering aspects,” Simon said. “Some engineers think energy is only about batteries and fuel. But it’s also about pricing, government incentives, behaviors and how people make choices.”

The LSA Energy Futures theme semester is part of a University-wide Initiative on Energy Science, Technology and Policy, established by U-M Vice President for Research Steve Forrest. U-M is home to the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute (MMPEI) and is a leader in the development of solar energy, fuel cells, batteries and other technology.

On May 6, MMPEI, CSCS and The Center for Advancing Research and Solutions for Society will begin this discussion with a free public workshop on “Energy in the Social Sciences,” at 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Michigan League Ballroom, 911 N. University Ave. Registration is required by April 28.

For information on the workshop, contact Shelly Sherman, (734) 763-7401 or sacs@umich.edu

To register for the workshop, visit: www.isr.umich.edu/carss/about/registration.html