Geoff Morrison
Background: Geoff grew up in Colorado's frontrange and developed an interest in environmental policy as he witnessed the consequences of a population boom in a pristine area. At Duke University he studied geology and oceanography as well as participated in the Naval Reserve Training Corps (NROTC). In ROTC, he refined his leadership and managerial skills during the school year as a Midshipman leader and during the summer on three month-long naval training programs in San Diego, CA and Norway. Upon graduation, he was commissioned an Ensign and started a 5.5-year career in the armed service. He led a division of enlisted personnel on two ships (a destroyer in the Pacific Fleet and an aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Fleet) and three shore commands (Rhode Island, South Carolina, and New York). During his time, he made two deployments to the Persian Gulf, served as the Anti-Submarine Officer on the destroyer (in charge of 18 sonarmen, torpedoes and sub-hunting), supervised a 550MW light water reactor on the carrier (in charge of 30 enlisted mechanics and electricians who stood watch in the plant), and became fascinated with the role energy plays in contemporary geopolitics. As a qualified Naval Nuclear Engineer, he was the officer-in-charge of a two-month radioactive filter replacement onboard the carrier during which he trained and supervised 42 personnel in what is considered one of the most dangerous maintenance activities in the Navy.
Academic Advisor: Dr. Yueyue Fan, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department
Research Interest: Geoff's overarching academic goal is to find effective and timely greenhouse gas-reducing policies. Geoff is extremely interested in analyzing transportation energy usage using economic forecasting and optimization modeling. Besides developing a firm understanding of today's energy policy decisions, he hopes to focus his studies on quantitative skills in mathematics, statistics, resource economics and modeling.
Awards and Achievements:
* 2009 Friends of ITS (Davis) Competitive Research Grant towards analysis of LCFS- $3.5K
* 2009 Eisenhower Fellowship from U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) - $62K
* 1st Author of Cash for Clunkers paper featured on edmunds.com and greencarcongress.com
* President of the UC Davis Hypermile Club (2008-2010)
* Selected for Department of Energy Scholar Program, Washington D.C. (Jun-Aug 2009) - Helped Assistant Secretary David Sandalow create new US DOE-China Energy Strategy prior to 2009 UNFCC Copenhagen Climate Summit
* Selected for 2-week Intensive Biorenewables Workshop at Iowa State (Jun 2009)
* 2008 UC Davis Sustainable Transport. Energy Pathway (STEPS) Fellowship - $45K
* Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal (2007)
* Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2004)
* Full Scholarship to Duke University - Naval ROTC (1998-2002) ~ $100K
Website: www.hypermileclub.com
Outside Interests: travel, ultimate frisbee, hiking, marathons, juggling, bluegrass, wine, twin tricks
Donald Gautier, USGS geologist, presents on petroleum in the arctic