February 2 - “Peaks Everywhere?”

Presenter: Tad W. Patzek, Chairman of the Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering Department at UT Austin, will speak about the future of energy supply for the world, as well as common misconceptions about technology, economics, and sustainability.
Tad Patzek is the Lois K. and Richard D. Folger Leadership Professor and Chairman of the Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Austin. He also holds the Cockrell Chair #11. Between 1990 and 2008, he was a Professor of Geoengineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining Berkeley, he was a researcher at Shell Development, a research company managed for 20 years by M. King Hubbert of the Hubbert peaks. Patzek’s current research involves mathematical and numerical modeling of earth systems with emphasis on fluid flow in soils and rocks. He is working on the thermodynamics and ecology of human survival, and food and energy supply for humanity. His current emphasis is use of unconventional natural gas as a fuel bridge to the possible new energy supply schemes for the U.S. Currently, he teaches courses in petroleum engineering, hydrology, ecology and energy supply, computer science, and mathematical modeling of earth systems. Patzek is a coauthor of some 200 papers and reports, and is writing five books.