NETL’s Ale Hakala, Ph.D., recently spoke with seniors in the AP Environmental Science class at Charlotte Latin School in Charlotte, North Carolina, highlighting her career as an energy researcher focused on environmental sustainability.

Laura Helsabeck, Ph.D., who teaches the class, invited Hakala, who is currently an NETL senior fellow leading the Lab’s geological and environmental systems research, to share her perspective on issues surrounding natural gas and carbon storage.

“Laura and I were in the same research group during graduate school at Ohio State, and have maintained a close personal friendship over the years, so it was great to reconnect with her on a technical level to help with her teaching section focused on climate change,” Hakala said. “And it was an honor to speak to her students and help them see that there are creative solutions to carbon management beyond what they may have learned in their textbook.”

The students are currently learning about climate change — an issue that Hakala has focused much of her research on solving. Hakala is an environmental geochemist whose research interests focus on how chemical reactions can increase the efficiency of producing energy while minimizing environmental impacts, and how to monitor the sources of fluids and gases in natural systems.

Hakala started her NETL career as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education post-doctoral research associate in 2008 and became a NETL research scientist in 2009. In the more than a decade since, Hakala has led multiple projects related to onshore unconventional shale gas development and geochemical monitoring for carbon storage risk assessment as both a portfolio leader and principal investigator. In 2017, she received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

In her current detail as NETL Senior Fellow for Geologic and Environmental Systems, Hakala works with multiple research teams (both within NETL and with external partners) to address geoscience-based research focused on ensuring prudent development of natural resources for energy extraction and water management.

“The most exciting aspect of research and development, especially in the geosciences, is uncovering a new aspect of nature that previously was unknown or undocumented,” Hakala said. “I hope I’ve conveyed that excitement to these bright young students during my talk, as the excitement of discovery, even when the hypothesis is disproven, is a repeated highlight that keeps me motivated in pursuing a research-based career.”

Prior to teaching at Charlotte Latin, Helsabeck was a senior staff officer at the National Academies for Sciences Engineering, and Medicine in Washington DC, where she directed committees tasked with shaping federal policy on a variety of scientific issues. Her team wrote books and reports advising the government on several water-related issues, including California's water quantity and quality issues, the National Flood Insurance Program, United States Geological Survey water programs, Himalayan surface and groundwater supply, and the future of the hydrologic sciences.

Helsabeck appreciated the time Hakala spent with her class. “These students are 18 and 19, heading off to college and are the generation that will be in the thick of grappling with what to do about U.S. energy needs and the impact on our environment,” she said. “As best I can, I want to send them off with an informed, positive view about their future.”

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.