Maria Richards
Geothermal Laboratory Coordinator
Maria Richards is a Staff Researcher and Coordinator of the SMU Geothermal
Laboratory. She works directly with
Dr. David Blackwell, Cathy Chickering, and the Graduate and Undergraduate
students in the Huffington Department of Earth Sciences.
Maria oversees contracts and grants from agencies such as the Department
of Energy Geothermal Technologies Program, Texas State Energy and Conservation
Office, Google.org, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and private
companies. Her research includes the
resource assessment for the MIT Report on the Future of Geothermal Energy, the
Geothermal Map of North America, Temperature-at-Depth Maps on Google.org/EGS,
eastern Texas geothermal resources and the use of oil and gas wells for
geothermal development. Maria
continues her geothermal outreach efforts through the SMU Geothermal Laboratory
conferences on Geothermal Energy Utilization Associated with Oil and Gas
Development, participation at renewable energy event booths, presentations at
various conferences, and one-on-one meetings with industry personnel.
Maria holds a Master of
Science in Physical Geography, Watershed Management from University of
Tennessee, Knoxville and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Geography from
Michigan State University.