​​​​ANPERC Center Director and Professor Tad Patzek co-authored an engaging article for the cover of July 2016 issue of  Physics Today. 

The article, “Physics, Fracking, Fuel, and the Future” explores one of the critical issues facing the scientists and policy-makers around the world: how do we estimate the amount of time left for hydrocarbons? The article, stemming from research conducted by Patzek, and Profs. Michael Marder and Scott Tinker of UT Austin funded by the Sloan Foundation, explores the roles that different scientific disciplines play in trying to understand not only what quantity of hydrocarbon resources remain, but how long humanity can use those resources. 

The article outlines the unique contributions that an engineer (Patzek), a geologist (Tinker), and a physicist (Marder) make in attempting to address this complex problem.

“The optimistic scenarios about the energy future will not come by accident or default,” the authors write.  "Their arrival will depend on a realistic assessment of risks we run, on interdisciplinary research to develop solutions, and on a well-informed public that supports science and understands how much modern society depends on consumable energy to survive.”

Read the full article here:

http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/magazine/physicstoday/article/69/7/10.1063/PT.3.3236