In 2009, the state of Iowa outconsumed and outspent most of the United States by consuming 472 million British thermal units of energy per person and spending $4,355.09 on energy per person, according to the U.S. Department of Energy website.

These figures and others like it are a function of the U.S. Department of Energy, whose mission is “to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.”

On Dec. 14, ISU professor Jacqueline Shanks was appointed to the Department of Energy’s Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee. Shanks, who graduated from Iowa State in 1983 with her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering, has taught at Iowa State for the last 13 years.

“I’m excited but also a little intimidated because, you know, it really stretches you to think beyond your boundaries, and I look forward to meeting with all of the people on the committee and being able to use my skills as a part of a group, ” Shanks said. “It really pushes you.”

The committee, which consists of 25 professionals, will tackle the questions of what science and engineering is needed to meet the energy challenges that will face the United States in the next 20 years.

Shanks has taught many courses where her task was to teach students how to model and make predictions, and now she must do the same thing her students do but on a much larger scale and complexity.

Shanks has had a prominent position in the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Biorenewable Chemicals and has worked with biorenewable fuels in the National Science Foundation Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation.

“The committee’s role is to make recommendations on policy reform for future energy needs, climate change, etc.,” said Mark Brown, graduate assistant in chemical and biological engineering. “Her role in these projects gives her valuable experience and perspective to advise the Department of Energy on what the nation can do to overcome the challenges that we face in transitioning from a fossil fuel-powered economy to a sustainable, bio-based one.”

BERAC works on topics that span a wide range of disciplines. Shanks will join professionals from all over the country that work in diverse fields ranging from physics and chemistry to meteorology or plant science.

One role of the advisory committee is to write a report after investigating what new work will be needed to receive future funding. It is essential that the committee come up with the skill set, computations and research that would be necessary to understand the causes and effects of some of our country’s biggest environmental issues in order to leverage new technology to the United State’s advantage.

“[Shanks’] biochemical engineering perspective on how the overall metabolism in these biological systems works nicely complements the perspective that will be provided by biochemists and biologists. I think Jackie also has the ability to see the big picture relative to research needs,” said Brent Shanks, her husband and professor of chemical and biological engineering. “She has developed a well-known reputation for her ability to work with interdisciplinary groups.”

Shanks believes that Iowa State is becoming increasingly recognized for the research being done in labs on campus, and the fact that this nomination was based on her work and not any previous grants supports that notion.