Speaker: Brian R. Ellis, PhD (U-M Civil & Environmental Engineering and the Michigan Society of Fellows Postdoctoral Scholar)

Recent growth in the use of hydraulic fracturing to extract oil and natural gas from unconventional reservoirs promises to change America’s energy future. Yet, the scale and rate at which this technology is being applied is simultaneously raising concerns about its impact on the environment and public health. This presentation will introduce the fundamentals behind hydraulic fracturing, discuss how this completion technology is altering the national energy landscape and examine current activity specific to the state of Michigan.