The Face of New Focus & New Energy
Steven Chu, Energy Secretary
Today is the momentous day of Barack Obama’s Inauguration, where he gets sworn in as the president of the United States at noon on Capitol Hill. Many people are hoping for and anticipating change and a new direction for America, especially in this economic recession. The engineering sector is also one that is expected to change to implement more and more green and renewable technologies. After our four part series on “Intro to Power”, I’d like to bring some focus to science and technology of the new Obama administration.
While his Cabinet appointees may be controversial to some people, I would argue that the appointed Steven Chu will assist Obama in leading this country to new viable sources of energy and new energy techniques. At the very least, his appointment gives us some hope of what is possible in the near future. Chu was selected to become the new Energy Secretary.
Chu’s resume includes a Nobel Prize in physics 1997, and he is a proponent of alternative and nuclear energy. What is interesting is that he is also prudent, in that he understands that the today’s conservation and energy technologies will not be enough. While it appears that he believes research is promising, Chu understands that more must be done.
Steven Chu is the most prominent appointment of Obama’s so-called “green team“. The other appointments: “Carol Browner as energy and climate coordinator, Nancy Sutley to head the White House Council on Environmental Quality and Lisa Jackson to run the Environmental Protection Agency.” (from Reuters)
What does this mean for us in the future? Be prepared to have a president and an administration with a serious focus on wildlife conservation and environmental protection, innovating new energy techniques and thwarting climate change.
At least that is what we are hoping for. It is best to lead by example, and I, personally, hope that with the counsel of this new team of experts, Obama will help us and the rest of the world “get there.”
Here’s an article from Cornell Chronicle, from before Chu was appointed a Cabinet position.
(Steve Chu image from Novinite.com.)
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