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The United States Energy Policy: As Determined By Non-experts

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Conference

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

San Antonio, Texas

Publication Date

June 10, 2012

Start Date

June 10, 2012

End Date

June 13, 2012

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Technological Literacy and Technological Policy

Tagged Division

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

Page Count

14

Page Numbers

25.1349.1 - 25.1349.14

DOI

10.18260/1-2--22106

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/22106

Download Count

327

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Paper Authors

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Zachary Foltz Iowa State University

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I am a student at Iowa State University, majoring in both Physics and Chemistry. I am also minoring in Engineering Studies. I am very interested in renewable energy, specifically how to derive more power from renewable sources as well as the importance of increasing generation, transmission, and load efficiency. I currently do research under a Dr. Wenyu Huang, synthesizing nanoparticles for catalysis and potential circuit applications. In my free time I enjoy working on automobiles and bicycles, and bicycling.

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Amanpreet Kaur Iowa State University

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William Henry Tushaus Iowa State University

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Christopher Sears Mikelson Iowa State University

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Brian Vincent Skalak

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Brian Vincent Skalak is a senior at Iowa State University majoring in advertising with a minor in engineering studies.

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biography

Mani Mina Iowa State University

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Mani Mina has been with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University since 2001. He has extensive industrial and academic experience. His current research interests include physical layer systems, measurements, and testing, applied electromagnetism, optical networking, magneto-optical switching, nondestructive testing and evaluation, and innovative methods of teaching technology. He is also one of the leading educators in the area of technological literacy to non-engineering students. He has been a recipient of several teaching and research awards. He is an active member of ASEE (ECE technological literacy) and IEEE (Education, Magnetism, and Ethics).

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Abstract

The United States Energy Policy: As Determined By Non-ExpertsThe Need For Technological Literacy For Non-Engineering StudentsAbstract: There are many major environmental issues challenging the world today, including globalwarming and a finite amount of fossil fuels. Due to these issues the methods used by the United States toproduce energy and the technology behind these methods are becoming increasingly important. There areseveral committees and departments whose role it is to choose what the United States will allow or investin when it comes to producing and distributing energy to the citizens. These include the SenateCommittee on Energy and Natural Resources, the Select Committee on Energy Independence and GlobalWarming, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, andthe Nuclear Regulatory Commission. These organizations solicit advice from experts in the energy sector,but our policy makers are rarely technically literate in regards to the science or engineering aspects behindthe decisions they make. This paper seeks to examine the decisions being made in this political arena aswell as the impacts of decisions made regarding these policies by non-experts. This paper also seeks toidentify the value and importance of technological literacy in policy makers as can be achieved byencouraging technical literacy for non-engineering students in the classroom today

Foltz, Z., & Kaur, A., & Tushaus, W. H., & Mikelson, C. S., & Skalak, B. V., & Mina, M. (2012, June), The United States Energy Policy: As Determined By Non-experts Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--22106

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