About
Typically, engineers and scientists fail to engage in the policy-making process, the consequence of which is an incoherent mix of national energy policies that accidentally undermine each other, fail to achieve strategic aims, or are impossible from the outset. The Webber Energy Group is seeking to rectify this problem by bridging the divide between policymakers and engineers & scientists for issues related to energy and the environment. For our research, we do not shy away from applying our technical skills to analyzing the societal context of our research problems. We bring the scientific method and technical expertise to bear on policy-oriented research questions as a way to inform decision-makers and help get the world onto a greener path.
Research projects currently underway include the following:
- The nexus of energy and water
- The nexus of energy and food
- Energy in Texas
- Energy storage for the grid
- Alternative transportation fuels (natural gas, electricity, and algae-based renewable diesel)
- Energy politics
- Waste-to-energy
- Quantifying the tradeoffs of energy
- Designing a smart grid for Austin
- Developing analytical tools for energy decision makers
Dr. Michael E. Webber Honors and Awards
APEX Award for Publication Excellence in the Green Writing category for
"Texas: The Next Solar Superpower?" from the November/December
2009 Solar Today
Aspen Institute Environmental Forum Scholar, 2010–2011
Dads' Association Centennial Teaching Fellowship, 2010–2011
Most downloaded paper in Environmental Research Letters for 2009
Best Paper Award, 2nd International ASME Conference on Energy
Sustainability held at Jacksonville, FL, during August 10 – 14, 2008. (2009)
National Finalist, White House Fellowship (2009)
AT&T Industrial Ecology Fellowship (2009)
Marshall Memorial Fellow (2007), German Marshall Fund
Next Generation Fellow (2006) for the American Assembly, a non-partisan
forum on public affairs founded by Dwight Eisenhower in 1950 with
Columbia University
National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship (1995-1998)
Outstanding Young Engineering Graduate, College of Engineering,
UT-Austin, 2005
Outstanding Paper Award for authoring the best paper of 2005 (measurement
science category) in Measurement Science & Technology "The Water
Intensity of the Plugged-In Automotive Economy," published
in Environmental Science & Technology was recognized by the publisher as
a “Most-Accessed Article” for the first-quarter of 2008.
Webber Energy Group Honors and Awards
Outstanding Scholar-Leader Award, Cockrell School of Engineering
- Amanda Cuellar (2009)
- Charlie Upshaw (2010)
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
- Kelly Twomey, 2009–2012
- Aaron Townsend, 2009–2012
- Amanda Cuellar, 2010–2013
- Ashlynn Stillwell, 2010–2013
- Chioke Harris, 2010–2013
Rylander Oustanding TA Award, Cockrell School of Engineering
White House Internship
- Melissa Lott, Fall 2009
- David Wogan, Summer 2010
Energy Information Administration Internship
- Melissa Lott, Summer 2009
Archer Fellowship
Barbara Jordan Fellowship
EPA STAR Fellowship
Congressional Research Service Internship
- Ashlynn Stillwell, Summer 2009
- Kelly Twomey, Summer 2009
SMART Fellowship
Harrington Fellowship
Graduate Recruitment Service Award, Mechanical Engineering Department
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