Resourcefulness: An Introduction to the Energy-Water Nexus is an academic curriculum authored by Dr. Michael E. Webber of the University of Texas at Austin.
With rapid changes in technologies and an aging skilled workforce, we are facing a significant skills gap in STEM related fields of study. As a global business leader and STEM employer, Itron partnered with Dr. Webber and DISCO Learning Media to create this curriculum as part of their ongoing investments in education and corporate social responsibility. Education plays a critical role in inspiring the next generation of innovators to help solve the world’s greatest challenges.
Resourcefulness has been created in line with College and Career Readiness/Common Core Standards, including Next Generation Science Standards, Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science, and International Baccalaureate Environmental Systems and Societies. The material is designed to complement and enhance existing curriculum and lesson plans with fully developed teaching resources. Resourcefulness is intended for a more traditional in-class educational program for secondary education that can be shared across many channels. Modular units on sustainability and effective resource management will encourage conversation among
We would like to thank Itron, Inc. for philanthropic support, which makes this curriculum available free of charge to K–12 students worldwide. Dr. Webber and Disco Learning Media bear responsibility for the accuracy of the content presented in the online guide, and any derivative works thereof. Itron and some other organizations cited within provided some data to inform the development, but neither sponsors nor partners exerted editorial oversight or influence over the project.
About the Author
Dr. Michael E. Webber is based in Paris, France where he serves as the Chief Science and Technology Officer at ENGIE, a global energy & infrastructure services company. Webber is also the Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources, Author, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, at the University of Texas at Austin where he trains the next generation of energy leaders through research and education at the convergence of engineering, policy, and commercialization. His latest book Power Trip: The Story of Energy was published May 7, 2019 by Basic Books with a 6-part companion series in development for PBS. His first book, Thirst for Power: Energy, Water and Human Survival, which addresses the connection between earth’s most valuable resources and offers a hopeful approach toward a sustainable future, was published in 2016 by Yale Press. It received wide praise and was converted into a 1-hour documentary by Alpheus Media.
Webber was selected as a Fellow of ASME and as a member of the 4th class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars, which is a leadership training program organized by Presidents George W. Bush and William J. Clinton. Webber has authored more than 400 publications, holds 6 patents, and serves on the advisory board for Scientific American. He holds a B.S. and B.A. from UT Austin, and M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford. He was honored as an American Fellow of the German Marshall Fund and an AT&T Industrial Ecology Fellow on four separate occasions by the University of Texas for exceptional teaching.
Credits
Resourcefulness: An Introduction to the Energy Water Nexus
by Dr. Michael E. Webber
The University of Texas at Austin
www.webberenergygroup.com
Author | Dr. Michael E. Webber
Producers | Coleman Tharpe, Juan Garcia
Design | Jeffrey M. Phillips
Copy Editor | Stacia Hernstrom
Quizzes | Dr. Isabella Gee
Translations | Addy Miro, Adriana Urgelles
Portions of this text have previously appeared in Energy 101: Energy Technology & Policy © 2013 and in Thirst for Power: Energy, Water and Human Survival (Yale Press) © 2016 Michael E. Webber.