Secretary Chu of the U.S. Department of Energy has appointed Prof. Tim Lieuwen as a member of the National Petroleum Council (NPC).  The purpose of the NPC is to advise the Secretary of Energy with respect to any matter relating to oil and natural gas.

Tim Lieuwen, a professor in the School of Aerospace Engineering, also serves as the Executive DIrector of the Georgia Tech Strategic Energy Institute (SEI).  He is a Fellow of the ASME and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the AIAA Lawrence Sperry Award, the ASME Westinghouse Silver medal, ASME best paper awards, Sigma Xi Young Faculty Award and the NSF CAREER award.  He has served on a variety of major panels and committees through the National Research Council, the Department of Energy, NASA, the General Accounting Ofice and the Department of Defense.

Dr. Lieuwen is editor-in-chief of the AIAA Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics series and has served as an associate editor of the Journal of Propulsion and Power, Combustion Science and Technology and the Proceedings of the Combustion Institute.  Dr. Lieuwen also was recently appointed to the Board of the International Gas Turbine Institute and previously chaired their Combustion and Fuels Technical Committee.  Dr. Lieuwen has edited three books, written seven book chapters, more than 200 papers and hold three patents.

About the National Petroleum Council:

The NPC is a federally chartered and privately funded advisory committee that was established by the Secretary of the Interior in 1946 at the request of President Harry Truman.  In 1977, the U.S. Department of Energy was established and the NPC's functions were transferred to the new Department.

Council membership consists of approximately 20 persons who are selected and appointed by the Secrerary of Energy.  Special attention is given by the Secretary to insure a well-balanced representation from all segments of the oil and gas industries, all sections of the country, and from large and small companies.  The Council also has members with interests outside of oil or gas operations, including representatives from academic, financial, research, Native American, and public interest organizations and institutions.

The advice of the NPC is transmitted to the Secretary in the form of reports approved by the Council and rendered to the government as a public service.  Studies are conducted in response to specific requests originating from or approved by the Secretary of Energy.

The Council's operations are privately funded through the voluntary contributions of its members, based on a budget approved annually by the membership.  These funds are used exclusively to cover the expenses of NPC meetings and the NPC office.  None of these funds are paid to government personnel, and the NPC receives no government funds.