UNL announces new energy sciences minor

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has created a new interdisciplinary minor in energy sciences, beginning in fall 2008. The minor can be declared by students in any undergraduate major, and will provide an opportunity for students to learn about the capture, production, storage and utilization of energy, and the associated energy choices societies must make related to economics and the environment.

"We want students to obtain an understanding of energy, what it has meant to societies historically, and how important energy is to our lives," said Ron Yoder, head of UNL's Department of Biological Systems Engineering and leader of the steering committee that developed the minor. "They will have an opportunity to explore where energy comes from and how it is used, and what energy means to world economies and international relationships. In short, we hope students leave the program with a technical understanding of energy and also an understanding of what it means to our society, and our world."

The energy sciences minor includes three introductory core courses with a comprehensive overview of energy in society, fundamental energy principles, the economics of energy, and environmental issues related to producing and using energy. The courses will be highly interdisciplinary, and will engage non-science and science majors equally. In addition to these core classes, three to five upper-division elective courses will be developed for each of four thematic areas: energy and natural resources, plant and animal bioenergy, energy engineering and energy economics, policy and human dimensions. A total of 18 credit hours will be required for fulfillment of the minor.

Funding for initial development of the energy sciences minor came from the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research, a collaboration between the Nebraska Public Power District and UNL which seeks to research and develop energy science and technologies, find new renewable energy sources, enhance energy efficiency and conserve resources. The center provided a grant to faculty in a variety of fields (among them engineering, plant sciences, economics and climatology) to develop a series of core courses and an overall proposal for the minor.

Yoder said the program seemed from the start to be a natural fit for UNL because of the expertise of the university's faculty on a broad range of issues related to energy science.

"From a bioenergy standpoint, there's a lot going on in Nebraska," he said. "Because of Nebraska's agriculture and our climate, we're in a position to be a major force in renewable energy, whether it's wind, solar energy, or biomass for bioenergy -- and we're currently up to our ears in ethanol from corn. All of these issues are, I believe, of interest to students and to Nebraskans in general. The U.S. economy has also long been based on inexpensive energy, so from the standpoint of the economy, it's critical to understand energy and how to use it in the most efficient possible manner. Contact: Ron Yoder, Department Head, Biological Systems Engineering, (402) 472-1413 (ryoder2@unl.edu)