The fall semester will bring an interdisciplinary minor in energy and sustainability for students of any major who want to learn more about important issues regarding the world of energy in Houston and beyond.
Sponsored by the Energy and Sustainability Initiative and under the direction of Joseph Pratt, NEH-Cullen professor of history and business, the new minor is designed for any student who lives and works in the Houston area.
“The minor in energy and sustainability consists of really good data for students to know. It covers all of the bases. Students who take these courses will be in a position to build on them for the rest of their lives,” Pratt said in a press release. “If you live and work in the energy capital of the world, you need to be literate in energy and sustainability.”
Dow Chair Professor Ramanan Krishnamoorti, special assistant to the president and chancellor for UH Energy, said the minor is an important part of UH’s goal to grow energy-related education and research initiatives.
“This new minor is an important part of our plan to capitalize on the abundance or energy-related talent and resources here at UH for the benefit of our students and the community,” Krishnamoorti said in the press release.
Krishnamoorti also said that the new minor will greatly benefit students themselves.
“We are giving them the tools they need to think about the energy industry in a holistic way. They will be better educated graduates for the industry overall,” Krishnamoorti said.
In addition to an introductory and capstone course, the minor will include courses covering topics such as the economics of energy, international energy politics, sustainable development, introduction to air pollution, the environmental biology of Texas and an energy-related writing class offered by the English department.
Bauer College is offering this minor as an interdisciplinary collaboration with many of the other colleges and departments. Consequently, the classes will be taught by faculty members from these varying colleges and students of all majors are urged to consider this opportunity.
“This new minor can be taken by students majoring in business, engineering, technology, natural sciences and math, and public policy — anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in the energy industry,” Krishnamoorti said.
“It will make UH students more relevant to the energy industry and more aware of the issues that will be important to them for the rest of their careers.”
