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Appalachia may be enjoying the economic benefits of the shale industry now, but a team of Ohio University engineers and public policy experts are concerned about the fate of the region once the extraction of those natural resources is over.
Ohio University recently awarded $1.3 million from its Innovation Strategy program to help the team explore ways to keep more jobs and revenue from the energy industry in Appalachia and prepare the workforce and communities for life after the shale boom.
 "Once the resources are out of the ground, you don't get them back," said team leader David Bayless, Loehr Professor of mechanical engineering in Ohio University's Russ College of Engineering and Technology. "If you don't capture the value for the public now, you don't get it back."
Although the industry-which uses a technique called hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," to extract natural gas from deep within the region's natural shale formations-experienced high growth in the first few years of the decade, in 2014 it hit a slow down as oil prices sank. But as the industry is expected to make a rebound, Ohio University researchers hope to take advantage of the lull to re-examine how Appalachia can do a better job of keeping more wealth in the region when the drilling resumes.
Bayless will lead three projects that aim to get more value out of the region's shale reserves and retain more jobs. His research team plans to develop two technologies that are aimed at increasing the amount of natural gas that companies can extract from shale. The geological formations are full of nanometer-sized pores that trap much of the resources, Bayless explained.
"The bottom line is that we want to get more product out of the wells that are already fracked so that the companies don't have to frack more wells," he said. "Ninety percent of the product is still under ground (when current methods are used). You only recover a small portion of oil or gas."
In addition, researchers at the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment will explore how to create a process to separate components of natural gas at the site of drilling that can be used for other applications such as in the plastics industry. Currently, gas products may be shipped far out of state to large manufacturing facilities that cost billions of dollars to build and maintain, Bayless explained. He would like to help develop a more economical solution that keeps the process and its jobs in Appalachia.
 In addition to developing new engineering processes and tools, one key piece of the Innovation Strategy project is focused on exploring and developing solutions for keeping shale industry wealth in the region. Scott Miller and Mike Zimmer of the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, in collaboration with Daniel Karney of the Department of Economics, will examine the manufacturing climate, public and economic development policy, workforce retraining programs and related issues that could help Appalachia leverage more benefits from the shale boom and position it for the post-shale economy.
"We're managing 90 percent of the costs while only receiving 10 percent of the economic revenues," in the current environment, said Zimmer, an executive-in-residence.
Miller will lead a study on why more manufacturing and production facility projects proposed for Ohio and surrounding Appalachian states haven't come to pass. He and fellow researchers will examine factors such as infrastructure, regional supply chains, capital investment, policy, workforce training, technology and marketing.
 Zimmer will work with local and state leaders, nonprofit organizations and the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland to explore how financial and economic development strategies can be used to reinvest wealth generated by the shale industry boom in Appalachian communities. In addition, Zimmer and colleagues will examine how communities can participate in workforce training programs that will help individuals currently employed by the shale industry more easily transition to other sources of employment in the future.
"We'd like to make the benefits of the shale industry not fleeting but more lasting so that if the shale market changes, we've created value that has a permanence, richness and depth that can transcend the boundaries of shale," Zimmer said.
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Author and former award-winning journalist with the New York Times, Gary Rivlin, will be on campus Wednesday, April 13 from 7 - 8:30 p.m. in Walter Hall, room 135 to deliver the 2016 James Lecture on Urban Politics, focused on, "Katrina: After the Flood."
 Most of New Orleans sat under water when Rivlin arrived there as part of the "storm team" the New York Times assembled to cover Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Rivlin spent the next 10 years producing a book chronicling New Orleans's struggle to overcome the disaster that left 80 percent of the city under water. Gary tells the amazing story behind the rebuilding of this most beguiling of American cities.
Dubbed a "lean, taught narrative" by USA Today, Rivlin's book highlights the grit and tenacity of the every-day people who overcame everything from red-tape to fights with insurance companies to ill-conceived government policies that favored some neighborhoods over others.
The lecture is cosponsored by the OHIO department of Political Science and the Wealth and Poverty and will feature a book signing immediately following the lecture.
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 Dr. Lysa Burnier, a professor of political science who teaches in the Voinovich School's MPA program, was awarded the Rita Mae Kelly Distinguished Research Award from the Section for Women in Public Administration. The honoree is recognized for research contribution to gender-related issues; performing research on an issue significant to women's role in public administration and making an impact through research on women's lives. It was created in 1991 to honor Dr. Rita Mae Kelly, renowned scholar and women's rights leader, who founded the Center for Empowerment and Global-Local Equity (1996), served as dean of School of Social Sciences (1996-2001) and held the Distinguished Chair In Applied Ethics at the University of Texas-Dallas, She received the section's first Distinguished Research Award. "Through your teaching and published research you have contributed to the transformation of public administration. Your seminal work has raised issues and sparked exciting dialogues in gender analysis and public administration and development of the notion of care-centered administration; in the recovery of women's contributions in the history of public administration-including Jane Addams, Frances Perkins, and Laverne Burchfield; and finally, advocacy in public administration education of women's interests, competencies and unique potential," says Dr. Hillary Knepper, SWPA Vice Chair, in the award letter. "Your outstanding track record of gender related research has made an indelible impact on the position of women in the field of public administration, and we are privileged to honor you with this award." The award was presented during the 2016 SWPA Annual Breakfast, on Monday, March 21, at the American Society for Public Administration annual meeting in Seattle, WA.
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 Location: Dayton, OH Description: The Assistant Director of Graduate Career Management is responsible for providing career coaching for all current graduate students and alumni. This position is responsible for preparing graduate students for their internship and full-time job opportunities by enhancing students' professional development through career coaching and high quality career management programming. Deadline: April 21, 2016
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Many Voinovich School students are attracted to the School due to its focus on applied research, and second year Master of Public Administration (MPA) student, Maggie Clark, was no exception. However, Clark's experience at the School was certainly exceptional, leading her in directions and affording her opportunities that she would not have anticipated.
 Maggie Clark earned her undergraduate degree at Ohio University in communication studies with a focus on political communications in 2014. Clark was initially unsure of what to do next, but was interested in finding a master of public administration program to continue her education.
She looked into programs across the country. However, after shifting her focus to opportunities here in Athens, she discovered that the right program had been under her nose all along.
"I read a little bit more about the Voinovich School through the Ohio University website, and I really liked the applied learning element," Clark said. "I thought the program would be a really interesting way to learn more about government while also getting that applied learning experience."
Clark has applied her learning experience at the Voinovich School to her current internship with the Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth (APEG), which helps with economic development in Appalachian Ohio. Clark is involved in multiple projects at APEG that allow her to use her skills in data and information gathering and analysis, and she is involved in initiatives that connect local partners. In addition to developing her data analysis skills, Clark said her experiences at the Voinovich School have allowed her to network with many leaders in the region and develop an understanding of Appalachia, all of which have proved helpful in her work with APEG.
After graduating in spring 2016, Clark plans to continue her exploration of public sector communications and economic development.
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CE3 Brownbag: Stream & Wetlands Foundation
April 8, 12 - 1 p.m.
The Ridges, Bldg 22, Room 221
Angel Azul FilmApril 13, 7 p.m.Athena Cinema Uptown More informationKatrina After the Flood:
with Gary Rivlin, New York Times April 13, 7 p.m.135 Walter Hall
More information
Student Research & Creative Activity Expo and
2016 Bobcat Idea Pitch
April 14Convocation Center
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"What's your brand? What do you have to offer? Who are your potential customers? How are we going to market you?"
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Impact & Innovation is a newsletter for the students, faculty and professionals of the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.
Have an article idea? Contact Laura Alloway, Voinovich School Director of Marketing and Communications.
Impact & Innovation is written and created by undergraduate students Diana Wiebe, M.C. Tilton, Jasmine Grillmeier and Daniel Kington.
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Each year, The Ohio Academy of Science brings together pre-college, college, and professional students, with scientific professionals from across Ohio to discuss the science being done in, and that which is, impacting Ohio. 
CE3 and Environmental Studies are delighted to host Stream + Wetlands Foundation President and OHIO Engineering alumnus, Vince Messerly, to discuss innovative environmental protection practices. The Ohio nonprofit Stream + Wetlands Foundation (formerly known as Ohio Wetlands Foundation) was established in 1992, creating the first wetlands "mitigation bank" in the country. This CE3 Brownbag will take place on April 8 at noon in building 22, room 221 at the Ridges.
