247-3 Organic Geochemistry for Energy Sustainability: A Curriculum Innovation in Geoscience Education

Session: Balancing Tradition and Innovation: Evolving Geoscience Curricula for a Changing World, Part I

Presenting Author:

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Abstract:

In an era shaped by the imperatives of the energy transition, this work challenges the prevailing narrative that positions fossil energy-based industries as incompatible with sustainability. Instead, it argues that these industries remain central to enabling scalable, low-carbon innovation due to their technical capabilities and operational reach. Within this context, introducing application-driven coursework, for example, by reimagining petroleum geochemistry in the context of its novel sustainability-driven applications, at early stages of undergraduate education, offers a strategic opportunity to reframe how the fossil energy-based industry is perceived by society. Such efforts improve the public image of this energy sector, encouraging industry support. This potential alignment between educational objectives and industry interests addresses a central challenge in curriculum reform: securing the resources and institutional backing required to implement meaningful change.

Titled Organic Geochemistry for Energy, the proposed curriculum introduces students to the geoscientific dimensions of carbon, its origin, transformation, migration, storage, and impact, within Earth systems. Structured into four core areas (Analytical Techniques, Geochemical Data Science, Seminars on Energy and Environment, and Applied Projects), it emphasizes hands-on learning, data literacy, and real-world problem-solving. Flexible formats, such as capstone seminars, minors, or summer intensives, support institutional adaptability and broaden participation. Rather than presenting petroleum geochemistry as a legacy of fossil energy-based industries, this model positions it as a forward-oriented science that enables students to engage critically with the complexities of energy systems and sustainability.

By connecting students with the scope of modern applications of petroleum geochemistry, from energy storage to environmental forensics, the curriculum offers a pragmatic model that responds to persistent misperceptions of geoscience as outdated. Recognizing that the petroleum industry still holds the infrastructure, expertise, and capital to drive sustainable innovation, geoscience curricula must evolve to reflect this reality and prepare students to lead energy transformation from within existing systems.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-6964

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