Athens, Ga. – Jay Hakes, director of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, will give a lecture on “Energy, Climate Change and International Cooperation” on Monday, Oct. 22 at 4:30 p.m. in room 101 of the Student Learning Center at the University of Georgia. The event is free and open to the public.
The lecture and discussion is part of a class for students who participate in a research apprentice program through UGA’s Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO). This class focuses on different aspects of the research process to encourage undergraduates to engage in research in a variety of disciplines. CURO, part of the Honors Program, has promoted a culture of inquiry at UGA through research partnerships between students and faculty research mentors since 2001.
“Dr. Hakes is a wonderful friend of the University of Georgia who takes a great interest in our students,” said Pamela Kleiber, associate director of the Honors Program, who teaches the class. “I have seen Dr. Hakes mentor UGA students on the spot in everything from how to give a congressman an ‘elevator briefing’ on an issue to discussing fascinating topics related to a student’s interests that could be used for undergraduate research and theses. His wealth of experience in government and academia positions him to be a great source of inspiration to our engaged students as they make their way in an ever-changing complex world.”
Hakes, an energy expert and author, has delivered this speech to university communities across the Southeast. He also has testified numerous times before congressional committees on energy issues and made similar presentations to members of the National Economic Council, OPEC oil ministers touring the U.S., and senior government officials while visiting Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
“The climate change topic is particularly important for a university audience,” said Hakes, whose book The Quest for Energy Independence will be published in May 2008. “Our actions today, particularly the combustion of fossil fuels, will have profound effects on our climate and hence on our quality of life many decades from now. Younger people are more threatened by these changes.”
Before becoming the director of the Carter Library in 2000, Hakes led the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy for seven years. His background also includes several federal positions, most notably serving as assistant to Secretary of Interior Cecil Andrus during the Carter administration and working in a variety of roles for Bob Graham, former Florida governor and later U.S. senator.
This is not the first time Hakes has visited the UGA campus. He has collaborated in the past with the Honors Program on National Issues Forums and public policy institutes, both of which promote civic engagement and citizen participation through discussion of important social and political topics.
Hakes also participated in the three-day symposium UGA hosted in January 2007 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of former President Jimmy Carter’s inauguration.
For more information about CURO, visit http://www.uga.edu/honors/curo.
For more information about the Carter Library and Museum, visit http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org.