Stevens' Director of Energy Initiatives features in energy thought-leadership event
Stevens Institute of Technology's Paul Winstanley knows a thing or two about the future - the future of energy, that is. Stevens' newly appointed Director of Energy Initiatives is scheduled to take part in a high-level panel discussion next week about global fuel alternatives in the year 2050.
Stevens, in partnership with DISCOVER magazine and Shell, will host a special panel discussion and VIP reception Oct. 14, titled "Fossil Fuels in the Year 2050." The panel will consist of four leaders in the field of energy technology and research, including Winstanley, and will be moderated by DISCOVER magazine's celebrated editor-in-chief, Corey S. Powell. The discussion will cover issues of America's energy future at mid-century and a scrutiny of the global implications of new energy technologies and resources, with audience Q&A. This event will be recapped in the January/February special double issue of DISCOVER, as well as in a variety of produced video clips to be featured on the DISCOVER, Shell and Stevens websites.
During the panel discussion, Winstanley looks forward to tackling the preservation of, and alternatives to, fossil fuels, and hopes to touch upon the need to consider emissions and greenhouse gases (carbon) as an enterprise to be managed.
One of the issues on which he plans to engage his fellow participants is the huge difference in energy demands of OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries vs. non-OECD countries. One example: Most of the electric vehicles sold in London are now manufactured in India. Winstanley says that on a global scale, we must never deplete the fossil fuel reserve, but that we will switch to new energy sources as new technology permits, as was the case with coal-to-oil, with fossil fuels as part of the mix in the year 2050.
Winstanley also looks forward to considering "emissions as an enterprise." For example, he says, improved ground handling and air-traffic management can deliver significant emissions benefits, and that it isn't simply a matter of improving the performance of aircraft engines. Other factors include the financial investments that may be required by carbon standards in 2050 and the lack of skilled engineers globally to tackle such issues.
"There is a huge financial element here, but we can't only spend money," explains Winstanley. "We need to accelerate the learning programs and post-graduate programs immediately."
Winstanley will reference programs that Stevens Institute of Technology currently offers to train the next generation of engineers, including its Green Engineering minor, newly established this year, and the Clean Energy Program, created by the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology.
Paul Winstanley joined Stevens this fall as the university's first Director of Energy Initiatives. He brings a global technology perspective to the topic, "Fossil Fuels in the Year 2050," along with a significant defense-industrial angle. Winstanley served most recently as the US-based President and CEO of the British consortium for technology commercialization, QinetiQ Inc. This position constituted the pinnacle of his involvement with the QinetiQ group, where he also served as Technical Director-Land Systems and Technical Director-Center for Sensors. Winstanley holds a B.Sc. degree from the University of Hull in Applied Physics with Laser Technology, and he is a Fellow of the British Institute of Physics and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.
While working at QinetiQ, Winstanley developed and maintained many client relationships, including the US Department of Defense (DoD), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the US Office of Naval Research. He looks forward to tapping into previous clients such as these, along with potential new partners, in order to help leverage Stevens Institute of Technology's expertise in the national and global market.
Winstanley's new position gives him the unique opportunity to merge his extensive experience in technology and business with the field of renewable energy.
"My hope is that next week's panel discussion will be the springboard for developing a deeper working relationship between Stevens, DISCOVER and Shell in the future," says Winstanley.
Joining Winstanley in the panel discussion, "Fossil Fuels in the Year 2050":
Corey S. Powell (Moderator), Editor-in-Chief, DISCOVER Magazine
Corey S. Powell is the editor-in-chief at DISCOVER magazine, the nation's leading general-interest science and technology magazine. A graduate of Harvard University's History and Science program, he started his scientific career as a research assistant at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, building and testing gamma-ray telescopes. Powell's publishing career started out at Physics Today. He then spent 8 years on the Board of Editors at Scientific American, including director of the magazine's first Web site. Powell is also an adjunct professor of science writing in NYU's Science Health and Environmental Reporting Program. His book, God in the Equation - an exploration of the spiritual impulse in modern cosmology - was published in 2002 by the Free Press.
Anthony V. Cugini, Director, Office of Research and Development, US Department of Energy
Dr. Cugini serves as director of the DoE Office of Research and Development (ORD), which comprises the onsite research personnel and laboratories in Morgantown, W. Va., Pittsburgh, Penn., and Albany, Ore. Prior to being named director of ORD, Cugini served as Focus Area Leader of the National Energy Technology Lab's (NETL) Computational and Basic Sciences Focus Area. During his tenure as Focus Area Leader, NETL strengthened its position in computational research ranging from computational chemistry through larger-scale process modeling. Before coming to NETL in 1987, Cugini worked at Procter and Gamble and Gulf Research.
Turgay Ertekin, Graduate Faculty, Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Penn State University
Dr. Ertekin has had extensive experience with the development and application of fluid flow models in porous media. He has given more than 200 invited lectures, paper presentations and seminars and more than 25 workshops and short courses throughout the world, and has authored or co-authored more than 200 publications including four books and four book chapters. He has served on the Society of Petroleum Engineers Editorial Board holding various positions including a two-year term as the Executive Editor of the Formation Evaluation Journal and currently is an Associate Editor of the Reservoir Engineering Journal.
Richard A. Sears, Visiting Scientist, MIT, and former External Research Coordinator, Shell
Richard A. Sears received his B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Geophysics from Stanford University in 1976. Currently he conducts applied research in energy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research interests are in energy systems, the development of hydrocarbon resources, and the future transition to renewable energy. He recently retired from Shell Oil Company after 33 years in oil and gas exploration and production. At Shell, he contributed to and led exploration ventures throughout the onshore United States and Alaska. He was an instructor at Shell's Exploration Training Center in Houston and served as Exploration Economics Manager for Shell Oil Co. In 1991, he joined Shell U.K. Exploration and Production in London where he was Head of Exploration Evaluation, and in 1996 returned to the US and was named CEO of Shell Noreast Company, responsible for Shell's E&P activities in the state of Michigan. In 1999, he became Vice President, Shell International E&P Inc., where through 2005, he led Shell's global deepwater subsurface exploration and development activities. In 2006, he became External Research Coordinator for Royal Dutch Shell, managing Shell sponsored research at universities and national laboratories throughout North America. Also since 2006, he has held an appointment as Visiting Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He serves on the Advisory Board for the Dean of Earth Sciences at Stanford University, and is a Registered Professional Geoscientist in the State of Texas.
Source: Stevens Institute of Technology
