The Robert A. Pritzker Visiting S•I•E in Residence

One of the defining questions of our time is whether the world will manage an energy transition to renewable technologies. We cannot do without energy use; energy is required to support the modern industrial economy. But are renewables cost-effective? Does an energy transition cause economic dislocation?

One answer to these questions lies in the history of past energy transitions and the lessons they might teach us. Since the year 1800, the U.S. has experienced seven sectoral energy transitions and is currently in the middle of another (in the electric sector, away from coal). The University of Chicago Mapping Energy History project has charted the history of U.S. energy use and the infrastructure that enabled that use.

In this evening presentation, Dr. Elisabeth Moyer will share examples from the past of the rise and fall of different energy sources and technologies, and demonstrate how energy history can engage audiences of all ages by showing how the past informs the present.

Dr. Moyer is a professor in the Department of the Geophysical Sciences and Director of the PIRE-Cirrus international research and training program at the University of Chicago. Her research interests include experimental atmospheric science—measurements from high altitude aircraft to study water transport and cloud formation—studies of the climate and human response to greenhouse-gas forcing, and the history and policy of human energy use.

She has been the Director of the Center for Robust Decision-making on Climate and Energy Policy (RDCEP) and of the Data Science in Energy and Environmental Research (DSEER) training program, and runs a longstanding program bringing experiential science education to K–12 students across Chicago. She has undergraduate degrees in Physics and Archaeology from Stanford and a PhD in Planetary Science from the California Institute of Technology.