U-M experts available on energy and power grid issues

August 20, 2003
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ADVISORY

ANN ARBOR—The massive blackout—the biggest in U.S. history—put energy policy and planning at the top of the national agenda this month. Government and business leaders already are debating how to modernize power grids and confront a host of other energy-related issues impacting the states and the nation in the weeks and years to come.

The University of Michigan has several experts with real-world experience who can discuss these issues and offer insights, including: Frederick Buckman, chairman and CEO of Trans-Elect, is an adjunct professor of nuclear engineering and radiological sciences in the College of Engineering. Buckman previously served as president of Consumers Power and president and CEO of PacifiCorp. He is available to discuss current status and challenges ahead for the power-grid in the U.S. Buckman can be reached at (503) 636-7134 or (503) 697-8408, or email him at fwb@umich.edu.

Mitchell Rycus, professor emeritus in U-M’s A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, is available to discuss energy planning and urban security. He has conducted risk assessment/vulnerability analyses with various U.S. water agencies, was a project manager in urban security for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and now focuses on applied research in the area of environmental design and security. He also consulted on securing the Atlanta water system against biological attack during the Olympics and works closely with international agencies, especially the United Nations, on the role of urban planning and security. He can be reached at (734) 763-1502 or (734) 665-5164 or email him at mjrycus@umich.edu. More about Mitchell Rycus

Marc Ross, a physics professor emeritus, is a nationally recognized authority on industrial as well as automotive energy policy. Industry uses more than a third of the nation’s electricity and most eastern plants were idled during the blackout. Ross says manufacturers and consumers can cut energy costs by adopting new technologies and lifestyle changes. Contact him at (734) 764-4459 or email him at mhross@umich.edu

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Michael Traugott, a senior research scientist for the Center for Political Studies and the Institute for Social Research at U-M, studies mass media and its impact on U.S. politics and voter behavior. Within hours of the power failure, members of Congress and other politicians were taking to the airwaves trading blame and debating future solutions. Contact Traugott at (734) 764-0420 or email him at mtrau@umich.edu.

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