Introduction to Energy, Environment, and Sustainability

Paul grew up in Montana. He completed his undergraduate and graduate studies in Chemical Engineering at Montana State University (MSU), and is now an Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering at MSU. His research and teaching focuses on sustainable energy and materials science, and he is active in campus sustainability initiatives. Paul directs a research laboratory where students study the behaviors of high-temperature (>500°C) materials used in silicon manufacturing, fuel cell systems, and turbine engines, with work funded by private industry as well as by various State and Federal agencies. Since 2008, Paul’s laboratory has produced over two dozen peer-reviewed journal articles describing the research, and his group enjoys international collaboration with colleagues in industry, national laboratories, and academia. In 2013, Paul was awarded the J. Bruce Wagner, Jr. Young Investigator Award from the Electrochemical Society’s High Temperature Materials Division, in recognition of his accomplishments in research and developing materials for high temperature energy conversion systems.

Paul is also passionate about teaching and learning, and has instructed both new and old courses at MSU, including Materials Science, Thermodynamics, and Energy and Sustainability, which motivated this textbook. He has taught over 1,500 MSU undergraduate students in the classroom, and has worked with several dozen in the laboratory. Paul has also had the pleasure of working with and learning from numerous graduate and post graduate students. Student success in the classroom, laboratory, and beyond drives his work and provides him hope for the future.

Paul also enjoys many forms of outdoor recreation and socializing with friends and family. Along with his incredible spouse (and accomplished artist) Cherlyn Wilcox and their faithful dogs, Zeppelin and June Bug, Paul lives, works, and plays in and around Bozeman, MT, about 50 miles north of Yellowstone Park.