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Title
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Dr. Larry Shadle
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Type
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Primary: Host Researcher
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Operation
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Infinite Potential
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Mission:
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Mission 3: Power to the People
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Subjects
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History and nature of science | Scientific enterprises | Careers | Science and technology | Energy technology | Science
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Created On
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9/29/2008
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From: Infinite Potential Mission 3: Power to the People |
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Dr. Larry Shadle Meet Larry, a Host Researcher and chemist from Operation: Infinite Potential. |
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Dr. Larry Shadle
Host Researcher,
Research Group Leader, Model Validation Research Group,
NETL,
Morgantown, WV
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Dr. Larry Shadle works in the Office for Research Development at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Morgantown, West Virginia. He is a fuel scientist that leads a research group in the computational sciences division that is collecting data on a carbon sequestration process that uses a cold flow fluidizing bed. This bed can, when in use, remove much of the carbon dioxide from the waste gases that are emitted from a coal-fired power plant. This is a very important new technology because carbon dioxide has been proven to be a greenhouse gas – a gas that could lead to climate change if too much of it is in the atmosphere.
Larry earned his first college degree in Chemistry from Akron University in Ohio. He has a strong background in organic chemistry from this degree. When he graduated from Akron University, the world was in the middle of an oil crisis. In the early 1970s a number of global issues were driving up gasoline prices and limiting supplies. In some places, gasoline was actually rationed and even then, gas stations still ran out. These shortages and President Jimmy Carter declared to “fight the moral equivalent of war” on the energy problem from the early 1970s. He sought to reduce the United State’s dependence on foreign energy sources. President Carter even put solar panels on the roof of the White House as a demonstration of his commitment to solving the country’s energy crisis.
These events inspired Larry to earn a PhD in Fuel Science at Pennsylvania State University from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. His strong organic chemistry background gave him a strong start in the fossil fuel sector of energy. His main interest in graduate school was coal. He then went to work for the Department of Energy on fossil fuel research.
Over his 25 year career, he has worked on a number of research projects involving coal and oil shale. He has worked on generating energy cleanly and safely from these fuels. With his current work on carbon sequestration, he is mostly working with physical chemistry and engineering.
Larry has a strong interest in history and is aware of the way events impact the supply and demand of energy. It is his hope that societies and governments eventually understand that the 150 year supply of coal is actually a very small supply when compared to the demands of the world. He is very aware of countries like China and India that are industrializing quickly and demanding more energy than before. He understands that fossil fuels will play a strong role in meeting the world’s demands. It is Larry’s hope that he can contribute to better and cleaner use of these fossil fuels and still help the world meet its energy needs.
Outside of work, Larry's family is the center of his life. Larry grew up in Canton, Ohio, the middle son in a family of 6 with four brothers and one sister. His father was a disabled veteran who served in the Pacific in the Navy during World War II. His mother cut hair in the basement to help make ends meet. Larry is married and lives Morgantown, West Virginia with his wife Marcie. They have raised three children, Kevin, Patrick, Molly. Larry and Marcie have made their children's education and activities their highest priority never missing a single performance or sporting event.
He encourages all students to consider pursuing science and engineering. He knows that solutions to the world’s energy will be resolved by the students currently in middle and high school.
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