Non-STEM Energy

Energy research doesn't stop at STEM disciplines. Texas Tech offers a rich variety of energy research across the university, including:

Energy Finance & Economics, Risks & Hazards, Economics of Oil & Gas

Economics of Energy: Impacts of energy infrastructure operations and construction and valuation of corresponding energy assets, products & services; Energy use and planning by households and businesses, adaptive behaviors, community resilience and natural disasters.

Rhetoric of Scientific Literature

“Petroleum Prodigals: How to Recover from Too Much of A Good Thing,” Christianity Today cover story, June 2019.

Excerpt: Oil as the fuel of modern society and industry has been closely linked to religious stories, beliefs, and practices for thousands of years. Histories of the discovery of oil almost always reference ancient societies' interactions with petroleum products, whether it be bitumen to line the bottom of Noah's Ark or medicinal uses of oil products among ancient Hindu and Chinese cultures. Thus, it was not surprising that the discovery of subterranean oil in Northwest Pennsylvanian in 1959 would invite religious explanations. Its discovery supported the prevailing attitude among European settlers of America that this was the Promised Land, the New Jerusalem. Oil was God's gift to help us realize our destiny. This powerful cultural identity story is hard to relinquish despite current awareness of the effects of fossil fuels on climate.

Oil: An American Genesis Story by Ken Baake – Presentation 

Energy Law

This area encompasses laws and policy regarding the regulation, use, conservation, and environmental concerns of energy, both renewable and non-renewable. Many of the graduates of the Energy Law Program embark on an energy practice, whether with a law firm, energy company, or other legal organization. Texas Tech Law gives students the opportunity to learn both the law and industry standards through a variety of experiences outside the traditional classroom.

Sustainable Architecture

Daylighting: the use of natural light in order to utilize sunlight as a primary source of lighting

Passive Design Strategies: use of the natural world around a building to increase energy efficiency