Messenger - Vol. 3, No. 1, Page 11
Fall 1993
On Campus
Center focuses on environment

     After 12 years, the Center for Energy and Urban Policy Research is
changing its name and developing new areas of graduate education.
     Last summer, the center officially became the Center for Energy and
Environmental Policy. A $200,000 grant is supporting new graduate research
projects on environmental issues, and, in keeping with the new emphasis, an
environmental policy colloquia series, launched last spring, will continue
this year on campus.
     "We are building on more than a decade of experience in energy
policy," says John Byrne, center director. "Many environmental issues have
their source in energy problems, whether you are talking about acid rain or
global warming or oil spills."
     Of the 40 graduate students associated with the center, about
one-third are working in the environmental area, Byrne says. Current
research topics range from global warming, urban air quality and oil spill
prevention to hazardous waste management, wetlands preservation and the
politics of wilderness. Concentrations in energy and environmental policy
are available at both the master's and doctoral levels, but the Ph.D.
program emphasizes international dimensions of environmental issues.
     In addition to associate director Young-Doo Wang and the
interdisciplinary staff of the College of Urban Affairs and Public Policy,
the center draws upon associate members in other colleges, including
colleagues from the colleges of Marine Studies, Business and Economics,
Engineering and Arts and Science.
     According to Byrne, researchers at the center currently are involved
in three major research areas:
     * Working with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the
Chinese Academy of Science to develop sustainable energy and environmental
policy options for China;
     * Assessing the social and economic impact of climate change as part
of their advisory work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change;
and
     * Looking at solar cell technology as an environmentally sustainable
energy alternative in a joint effort with the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory and the Department of Energy.