Life at the Center of the Energy Crisis: A Technologist's Search for a Black Swan describes the story of NPRE Emeritus Prof. George H. Miley’s work and struggles in the field of energy research.
Miley's experience in the field spans from work with Admiral Rickover and the Nuclear Navy to research with NASA designing propulsion for spacecraft to travel to Mars. His autobiography provides insights into the differences between nuclear research done during the Cold War by the two superpowers, and offers a commentary on the flaws in each system with hope for change in the future.
The book also provides a look into the development of the nuclear engineering program at the University of Illinois from Miley's years as a professor and an administrator.
The book has been recently published by World Scientific.