Lauren Fleishman is a PhD Candidate in the department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. Under CDMC, Lauren's current research:

If the technologies for carbon capture and deep geological sequestration (CCS) are to become a viable option for reducing electric industry CO2emissions, the public must find them acceptable and be willing to allow their wide-spread deployment. Previous studies have shown that the public is reluctant to accept CCS. They have also found that people do not want to consider CCS in isolation, but rather, in comparison with other technologies, and as a part of an electricity-generating portfolio designed to achieve a reduction in CO2 emissions. My research explores how members of the general public rank a set of low-carbon electricity-generating technologies (e.g., wind power, nuclear, coal with CCS, etc.), and portfolios composed of these technologies. Participants receive comprehensive materials systematically explaining the costs and benefits of each. Future work will involve the development of a portfolio decision computer tool, which will allow for participants to interactively create their own portfolios.