April is usually a month for low energy consumption as the winter heating season has ended and the summer driving and air conditioning seasons haven't yet started. Nevertheless, energy remains as topical as ever.  For example, unrest in Yemen is injecting uncertainty into global oil markets; some power plants are shutting down for spring cleaning and maintenance; and Iran and the United States are deep into negotiations over their nuclear ambitions.  I can't help but wonder whether the domestic shale revolution has simultaneously given the United States the determination to negotiate with Iran without worrying about oil cutoffs while also inspiring Iran to negotiate with the United States because of concerns about protecting its market share.  

Controversy continues around domestic shale production.  In my opinion, the public dialog on shale is confused by stakeholders asking imprecise questions and industry answering those questions in narrow, technical terms without tackling the root of concern. My op-ed on this topic was published in the Houston Chronicle last month and generated quite a response.

In parallel, the course app we made, Energy 101, continues to gain traction with industry and universities.  Building off that success, I'm pleased to announce that we are also working on Thermo 101, which will be an app-based collegiate reference for engineering thermodynamics available through University of Texas Press in August.  Thermo 101 is based on a textbook written by my colleagues and will incorporate dynamic tools, interactive tables, property calculators, embedded media, and animations.  We're hoping to make it easier to learn thermodynamics, which is the core, underlying science of energy.