Symposium with Jennifer Richter

Tempe Campus: West Hall Room 135

How to produce energy to power the hopes, dreams, and everyday activities of billions of humans across the planet is one of the most critical questions of the 21st century. In this talk, I explore how nuclear and renewable energy sources embody the promises, perils, and paradoxes of pursuing political ideals such as energy security and independence. By examining case studies related to nuclear waste storage and solar technologies, I identify several key considerations that need to be acknowledged and articulated in science and technology policies shaping modern energy production and transitions. These include environmental and intergenerational justice goals as well as how the production of scientific knowledge is translated into local, state and national policies. Ultimately, understanding how political, cultural, and economic values are embedded in energy technologies is a crucial element of planning just and sustainable energy transitions in the present and (far) future.

Dr. Jennifer Richter is a Visiting Assistant Professor with a joint appointment in Justice and Social Inquiry in the School of Social Transformation, and the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes at Arizona State University. She received her PhD in American Studies from the University of New Mexico in 2013, with concentrations in Environment, Science, and Technology and Critical Regionalism. Her work explores the intersections of justice and energy, stemming from her research in New Mexico’s nuclear past, present and future, as well as her current research regarding the ways that energy rationales are articulated in relation to concepts of sustainability and resiliency on different levels of governance.  She teaches courses on environmental justice, as well as science and technology policy.

Download flyer

Co-sponsored by CSPO and the School of Social Transformation