Hi Museum-L moderator - could you please post this program announcement from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History? Many thanks, Eric Hintz
New Perspectives on Energy Innovation
October 19, 2023 | 1:00-3:40pm ET
FREE Registration: https://NewPerspectivesEnergyInnovation.eventbrite.com<https://newperspectivesenergyinnovation.eventbrite.com>
Details: https://invention.si.edu/new-perspectives-energy-innovation
October 2023 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the 1973 oil embargo imposed by the Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in the wake of the Yom Kippur/Ramadan War. The temporary shortages inflated energy prices, jolted the global economy, and destabilized geo-political relationships around the world. The crisis also inspired new science and technology policies and several innovations, including alternative nuclear, solar, wind, and geothermal energy sources and more fuel-efficient automobiles. Today, we are again witnessing a resurgence in creative policy solutions and new energy innovations to address the ongoing challenges of war, energy scarcity, inflation, and the environmental impacts of climate change. In this online symposium, a distinguished group of historians, technology innovators, journalists, and policymakers will discuss the lessons we can learn from the 1970s and how they might be applied to address our present-day challenges and opportunities.
The symposium is co-presented by the Smithsonian Institution's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation<https://invention.si.edu/>; Arizona State University's Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes<https://cspo.org/>; and Johns Hopkins University's Department of History of Science and Technology<https://host.jhu.edu/> and Department of the History of Medicine<https://hopkinshistoryofmedicine.org/>.
Thursday Oct 19, 1:00-2:20pm ET
SESSION 1: (Mis)Remembering 1973: Crisis and Innovation
The year 1973 conjures images of long lines at gasoline pumps, lower thermostats, and a new 55 mph speed limit. But the United States did not run out of oil when the OAPEC embargo began in October. Rather, the resulting price hikes were merely the latest disruption to an unstable energy sector already beset by earlier fuel shortages and widespread electrical blackouts. The federal government debated various policy responses, including robust conservation measures, expanded domestic energy production, and a new Department of Energy. Meanwhile, the crisis forced the energy companies to confront the geo-political risks and environmental costs of fossil fuel extraction. For about a decade, the big oil companies advocated for limited growth and "sustainable development" of the energy sector, while investing in alternative nuclear, solar, wind, and geothermal energy sources. However, the energy companies eventually decided to double down on fossil fuels and began to actively sow doubts about the causes of climate change. How do we remember-and how have we misunderstood-the causes and reverberations of the 1970s energy crisis? How did the federal government, energy companies, and everyday citizens react? What kinds of energy policies and technological innovations emerged from the crisis, and which potential solutions proved to be unsustainable? What contemporary lessons can we learn from a more nuanced understanding of 1973 and its aftermath?
* Meg Jacobs<https://spia.princeton.edu/faculty/megj>, Senior Research Scholar, School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
* Cyrus Mody<https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/ccm-mody>, Professor, History of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Maastricht University
* Richard F. Hirsh<https://hirsh.history.vt.edu/>, Professor, Department of History, Virginia Tech
* Moderator: Eric S. Hintz<https://invention.si.edu/eric-hintz>, Historian, Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, Smithsonian Institution
A short 5-10 minute Break
Thursday Oct 19, 2:30 -3:40pm ET
SESSION 2: Energy Innovations for 2023 and Beyond
"History may not repeat itself," Mark Twain once quipped, "but it rhymes." Indeed, the events of 2023 have echoed the events of 1973. War-in Ukraine and again in Israel-has again precipitated energy shortages, inflation, and geo-political disruptions. The specter of climate change is everywhere, in the form of heat waves, wildfires, and flash floods. The federal government has responded by building clean energy, smart grid, and climate resilience measures into the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021) and the Inflation Reduction Act (2022). We certainly see more wind turbines, electric cars, and solar farms, yet fossil fuel production continues apace. How have the events of the past half century informed the ongoing fears and guarded optimism of our present moment? What policies, new technologies, and consumer behaviors will be required to mitigate the climate crisis? What are the barriers to energy innovation? And how do we imagine the future of energy and society in the next fifty years?
* Robinson Meyer<https://heatmap.news/u/robinsonmeyer>, Founding Executive Editor, Heatmap
* Kelly Cummins<https://www.energy.gov/oced/person/kelly-cummins>, Acting Director, Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, Department of Energy
* Clark Miller<https://search.asu.edu/profile/977682>, Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, and Director, Center for Energy & Society, Arizona State University
* Moderator: Arthur Daemmrich<https://cspo.org/people/daemmrich-arthur/>, Director, Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes, Arizona State University
Accessibility: The National Museum of American History and its presenting partners welcome visitors of all ages and abilities. CART captioning will be available for the online program. Additional accommodations are available upon request; please email [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>.
Recordings? Yes - after the series concludes, captioned recordings will be posted to the event website<https://invention.si.edu/new-perspectives-energy-innovation> and the Lemelson Center YouTube channel<https://www.youtube.com/user/LemelsonCenter>.
Media inquiries: Laura Havel, Public Affairs Specialist, Lemelson Center, 443-617-2854, [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
FREE Registration: https://NewPerspectivesEnergyInnovation.eventbrite.com<https://newperspectivesenergyinnovation.eventbrite.com>
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