Dr. Zack Valdez, a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee with a background in engineering and geoscience, interviews Ortwinn Renn. Professor Renn is scientific director at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam (Germany), and serves as the spokesperson for the Kopernikus Project for the Energy Transition Navigation System, also known as ENavi. He discusses how Germany is attempting to reduce dependence on traditional fossil fuels by developing a sustainable and renewable energy infrastructure to account for 80% of Germany’s energy needs. Within this framework, Professor Renn explores social and economic factors relating to energy security, consumer preferences, and the use of digital technologies to more effectively manage energy consumption.

Participants

Host: Zack Valdez, Ph.D., Geology / Earth Science
2017-2018 Congressional Fellow, U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

Ortwin Renn, Ph.D., Social Psychology;
Scientific Director, Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS)

Editors

Rachel Anderson, Ph.D., Neuroscience
2017-2018 Executive Branch Fellow at the National Institute of Justice

Brannon Green, Ph.D., Neuroscience
2017-2018 Executive Branch Fellow at the National Institute of Justice

Executive Producer

Carlos Faraco, Ph.D., Neuroscience
2016-2018 Executive Branch Fellow at the National Institute of Justice