The Rightful Place of Science: Government & Energy Innovation

Innovation in the energy sector is necessary to maintain economic competitiveness, meet ever-increasing energy demands, and limit the changes to our atmosphere caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Key to advancing the necessary innovations is an understanding of the vital role of the public sector. Government support has been crucial for transforming lower-carbon energy technologies, ranging from solar power to biofuels to efficient gas turbines, into fundamental components of a cleaner U.S. energy sector. But the government role has been highly complex, and its contributions have been uneven. In a series of in-depth case studies, The Rightful Place of Science: Government & Energy Innovation examines the many ways in which government innovation policies and activities, often carried out in close partnerships with the private sector, have helped to create and steer the development and improvement of technologies that underlie the energy infrastructure of the future.

The Rightful Place of Science is a book series published by Arizona State University's Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes, and edited by G. Pascal Zachary. The series explores the complex interactions among science, technology, politics, and the human condition.

Daniel Sarewitz is co-director of the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes and Professor of Science and Society at Arizona State University. His work focuses on revealing the connections between policy decisions, knowledge creation and innovation, and social outcomes. His most recent book is The Techno-Human Condition (MIT Press, 2011, co-authored with Braden Allenby). He is also a regular columnist for Nature and the author of Frontiers of Illusion: Science, Technology and the Politics of Progress.

Miles Brundage is a Ph.D. student in Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology at Arizona State University. His research focuses on the societal implications of artificial intelligence, robotics, and energy technologies.

Travis Doom earned his undergraduate degree in engineering at Arizona State University. He has spent the last several years with the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes office in Washington, DC working across a wide range of science and technology policy issues.

Jen Fuller is a Ph.D. candidate in the Environmental Social Science program at Arizona State University. She currently thinks and writes about the social, political, and cultural dynamics of community renewable energy.

Eric B. Kennedy is a Ph.D. student at the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes at Arizona State University. His research focuses on finding improved strategies to foster collaboration in solving complex & interdisciplinary real world problems.

Frank N. Laird is Associate Professor and Director of the International Studies degree at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. His research has ranged widely over energy policy, climate change policy, the interactions between the public and governments over environmental issues, and the history and institutions of science and technology policy. His publications include Solar Energy, Technology Policy, and Institutional Values (Cambridge University Press, 2001) and numerous articles in academic and professional journals.

Jason O'Leary is a doctoral student in the Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology program at Arizona State University and the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes. He is also a graduate scholar at the NSF-DOE Engineering Research Center, Quantum Energy and Sustainable Solar Technologies. He researches social sustainability issues in energy from a complex systems and futures-based perspective.

Heather M. Ross, DNP, is an adult nurse practitioner with a specialized focus in cardiac arrhythmias and implanted devices that rely on improvements in battery technology to yield improved patient experiences. She is a Ph.D. student in Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology at Arizona State University, studying practice and policy surrounding medical technologies. In addition, she is a faculty member at Arizona State University in the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Center for Sustainable Health at Arizona State University, and Professional Masters in Science and Technology Policy programs.

Aubrey Wigner is a Ph.D. student in Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology at Arizona State University. His research focuses on integrating makerspaces and hackerspaces with higher education to enhance learning through hands-on interdisciplinary practices. He is also interested in how organizations and individuals engage in technological innovation.