Connors State College is proud to pass along the exciting news that Jessica Monks research project entitled, Alternative Energy in Southeast Oklahoma; Socio-Demographic Opportunities and Challenges has been accepted for presentation for the Annual Research Day at the Capitol. Monks will get to attend a training session in addition to the presentation day on March 15, 2012. She will be sharing her research accomplishments with the Oklahoma Legislature and the people of our state. Throughout the day she will be competing against other student researchers from across the state. The abstract to Monks research paper can be found below.
Abstract: Alternative Energy in Southeast Oklahoma;Socio-Demographic Opportunities and Challenges
Oklahoma has always been a leader in the energy industry; to maintain this leadership, he state has an interest in promoting many forms of energy production, including traditional fuels and newer alternatives. The purpose of this project is to investigate which alternative energy source(s) is best for Southeastern Oklahoma. The social impact of this research is great, by linking our analysis of the socioeconomic characteristics of Southeastern
Oklahoma with the prospects of developing alternative energy in order to best attract alternative energy investment and create green collar jobs. We will draw upon data about Southeastern Oklahoma, and the state as a whole, using data from the United States Census Bureau, the United States Department of Labor, and Oklahoma Department of Commerce Summaries. We will examine the data to ascertain social and demographic characteristics for this part of he state, such as the occupational structure and job outlook, and their impact on Oklahomas economy. We will also examine trends in alternative energy using publically available information from the Oklahoma Wind Power Initiative, the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center Reports, industry groups, and other publically available sources.
After evaluating both the social demographics of the state and the alternative energy choices available, we will present our findings, using data tables and generated maps of the state by county. We will be prepared to make recommendations for the best alternative energy choices for Southeastern Oklahoma, based not only on natural resources, but social structure as well. Our preliminary hypothesis is that Southeastern Oklahoma has the potential to contribute biofuels and natural gas to the energy market, and that the desirable infrastructure is in place, or can be with some investment.