Surging student interest in energy issues has sparked the creation of a unique new environmental studies graduate curriculum set to begin this fall at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The energy specialization within the environmental studies master's degree program will include core courses and electives in classes such as "Solar Technology," "Environmental Economics" and "Renewable Energy Policy."
Energy use is at the heart of many of the most pressing environmental issues, said environmental studies faculty member Paul Komor, and that's why student interest has increased.
"There's growing recognition of the key role energy plays in the environment - as well as energy's importance as a fundamental input to the economy," Komor said. "This can be seen, for example, in the fact that major energy legislation keeps coming up at the state Legislature and in the U.S. Congress." He noted that Congress is currently debating a comprehensive energy bill, and the Colorado Legislature narrowly defeated legislation this spring that would have sharply increased the amount of renewable electricity in the state.
Komor spearheaded the effort to create the new graduate curriculum, which was unanimously approved by the environmental studies faculty.
"Global climate change, local and regional air quality concerns, high-level nuclear waste storage - these and other issues are a direct result of how we use energy," he said. "Responding to these issues requires an in-depth understanding of energy - how we use it, how it links to economic, social and political issues, what are the alternatives to our current use patterns and how we might implement them."
Ric O'Connell will begin the CU-Boulder program in the fall. With an engineering and computer science degree from Duke University and 10 years of experience in telecommunications and entrepreneurship, he's now interested in working at a facility like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden. "I'm interested in building alternative financial models and incentives for builders and buyers to create more energy-efficient housing," O'Connell said.
"There's clearly a demand for students with broad energy knowledge," Komor said, adding that several CU-Boulder students have already been hired by Platts Research and Consulting, one of the world's largest providers of energy industry information.
"What we need are bright, curious folks who have a broad understanding of the energy industry and energy issues," said Michael Shepard, senior vice president for research at Platts Research and Consulting. "The people we've brought in from CU in the past have fit in well." Platts serves utilities companies, government agencies and other customers with information about all aspects of energy use, from production to end-use efficiency, Shepard said.
CU-Boulder is already home to a number of energy-related research projects. The College of Engineering and Applied Science has a building systems program in the department of civil, environmental and architectural engineering. The program focuses on energy efficiency in buildings and industrial sectors as well as on practical applications of renewable energies.
The university's Facilities Management group is a leader in implementing energy and resource efficiency on campus. The group manages CU-Boulder's cogeneration system and also heads up the campus resource conservation effort.
The CU-Boulder Environmental Center runs several energy programs and was the driving force behind the university's investment in wind power.
The new environmental studies energy program is offered only at the master's level, but organizers hope to be able to offer a curriculum to undergraduates in the future. The energy curriculum joins the department's existing specializations in water, biogeosciences and policy.
For more information about the energy program visit