On the afternoon of April 9, the third-floor boardroom of Hodson Hall became the latest stage for one of civil engineering’s most intense debates. Speaking in front of a packed room, Dr. Anthony R. Ingraffea presented “Geology Rules: Unconventional Development of Gas/Oil from Shale Formations,” the first of two talks that day which constituted the 2014 Richard J. Carroll Memorial Lectureship. The second talk, “Why NOT Shale Gas/Oil?” was given in front of members of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) at the Engineers Club in Mount Vernon.
The 2014 Richard J. Carroll Memorial Lectureship focused on analyzing methods by which the United States measures its energy policy. Through these talks, Dr. Ingraffea explored fundamental fallacies and oversights often accepted by government agencies, the energy industry, and environmental organizations alike.
Anthony R. Ingraffea is the Dwight C. Baum Professor of Engineering at Cornell University, where he has been a Weiss Presidential Teaching Fellow since 1977. His education includes a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Polytechnic Institute of New York, and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado.
Dr. Ingraffea’s latest research challenges preconceived notions in the field of energy. He described the goal of “Geology Rules” as to “explore some myths and realities concerning large-scale development of the unconventional natural gas/oil resource in shale deposits.” In “Why NOT Shale Gas/Oil?” Dr. Ingraffea questions our perception of U.S. energy policy. Imploring the audience to think outside of established rhetoric, he asked, “Can we connect the dots among shale gas/oil production (commonly miss-titled [sic] as ‘fracking’), climate change, environmental protections, energy independence, quality of life, and energy security? What if we can’t?”