Text of MARQUIS Who’s Who biography for John A. Shanahan - 2024
John Shanahan
Gender:
M
CompanyName:
All About Energy (allaboutenergy.net)
Title:
Founder, Editor Professional
EDUCATION
Doctorate of Engineering, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany (1969); MS in Civil Engineering, University of Notre Dame (1964); BS in Civil Engineering, University of Notre Dame (1962)
NUMBER OF YEARS IN PROFESSION
5 CAREER
Founder, Editor, All About Energy (allaboutenergy.net) (2019-Present); Volunteer Fundraiser, Archbishop Stepinac High School (1996-2022); President, Environmentalists for Nuclear - USA (2013-2018); President, Go Nuclear, Inc. (2011-2012); Financial Advisor, DBA, Morgan Stanley, Raymond James (1996-2012); Branch Manager, Professional Analysis, Inc. (1990-1995); Consultant, John Shanahan, Consulting Civil and Software Engineer (1986-1990); Senior Engineer, Consulting Engineer, STONE & WEBSTER ENGINEERING LIMITED (1973-1985); Senior Engineer, Bechtel Power Corporation, Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation, PAI (1969-1973)
MEMBERSHIPS
Sigma Xi Science Honor Society
CIVIC
President, Go Nuclear, Inc. (2010-Present); History and Literature Teacher in Spanish, Private teacher of Latin American history and literature in Spanish to Hispanics in the USA (2014-2015)
AVOCATIONS
Hiking
Personal
PLACE OF BIRTH
Albany, New York, USA
MARITAL STATUS
Married
CHILDREN’S NAMES
One Son; One Daughter
Expanded
ATTRIBUTES SUCCESS TO?
Dr. Shanahan attributes his success to being open in a personal and intellectual sense to opportunities as they come along.
WHY DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED IN YOUR PROFESSION OR INDUSTRY?
Dr. Shanahan founded All About Energy after he sent a letter to President Obama's science advisor in February 2010. John Holdren was appointed as President Obama's science advisor in 2009. He and Dr. Shanahan knew each other through family friendships but never worked on any projects together. John Holdren was a professor of environmental science at Berkeley, and Dr. Shanahan was starting his nuclear power career at Bechtel Corporation in San Francisco. They maintained their friendship throughout the years, with John Holdren and his wife visiting Dr. Shanahan in his home in Newton, Massachusetts, during the late 1970s
when he was working for nuclear power in Boston. John Holdren also visited Dr. Shanahan in Zurich, Switzerland, during the 1980s when he was working for nuclear power in Switzerland. Although they had a friendship, John Holdren was having a meteoric rise in science related to nuclear energy, the use of fossil fuels, and climate change. In around 2002, Dr. Shanahan asked a tricky scientific question via email that he had been asking for the past 15 years. Science professors had either declined to answer or gave answers that differed from what he had reasoned. Dr. Shanahan asked Professor Holdren at Harvard University what he thought of his question and answer. Holdren responded that he agreed with his reasoning based on knowledge of science and physics. Dr. Shanahan, being a civil engineer, had reasoned it out logically. Later, in February 2010, Dr. Shanahan wrote a letter of recommendation to the White House office about nuclear energy and radioisotopes for nuclear medicine. He had Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois referee the letter's wording. He collected signatures from leading people in nuclear energy and radioisotopes for nuclear medicine worldwide. This included scientists and engineers from all provinces of Canada bordering the United States, the top nuclear engineer in Russia, Evgeny Velikov, the top nuclear engineer in India, and many other distinguished people worldwide. The letter gained a lot of interest and support in just six weeks with the help of many people. In 2010, they wrote a letter to John Holdren, and at the same time, Dr. Shanahan was asked by a friend to assist his granddaughter, who was on a national debate team in Augusta, Georgia. She had to defend nuclear energy and argue both sides for a nationwide competition. Dr. Shanahan offered to help her and put her in touch with some of the top scientists he was working with.
THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF YOUR CAREER, WHAT WAS THE ONE HIGHLIGHT THAT STOOD OUT THE MOST?
Dr. Shanahan has achieved notable accomplishments in various fields. Although his achievements vary, one of his grandest and most significant accomplishments is the number of people he has collaborated with, documented, and inspired to promote to others. For instance, he met many
of these individuals through his initiatives. For example, in 2012, he was researching a physicist, Bernard Cohen, and reached out to him. He found Cohen's phone number through the white pages of the Internet, which was still functioning back then, and called him, just like he had done with other senior experts. Dr. Shanahan introduced himself and mentioned that he was working to promote nuclear energy and would like to share Cohen's story. Initially, Cohen's wife answered the phone, but eventually, Cohen himself spoke to Dr. Shanahan, despite being 90 years old at the time. Despite being a stranger, Cohen warmed up to Dr. Shanahan and shared his knowledge and expertise, which Dr. Shanahan documented and added to his website. These documents are a crucial part of the website and provide valuable insights.
WHERE WILL YOU BE IN FIVE YEARS?
Dr. Shanahan's goals and aspirations are to be healthy and happy with his family and friends and to have a lot of success connecting allaboutenergy.net with people and students.
EXTENDED BIO
The mission of gonuclear.org was to increase awareness and knowledge about nuclear energy and science. It all started with Dr. Shanahan in Denver, a high school student from Augusta, Georgia, and her mother. Initially, they planned to keep it local, but it quickly gained traction and expanded throughout the United States. Later, in 2013, Bruno Comby, an environmentalist and nuclear engineer from Paris, discovered Dr. Shanahan's work and asked him to lead the website for his United States organization, Environmentalists for Nuclear USA (EFN USA). The website evolved to include environmental issues related to nuclear energy and was maintained until 2018. At that point, Dr. Shanahan wanted to create a website with a broader scope, so he launched allaboutenergy.net. This website included over 3,340 articles, reports, conference slide presentations, ebooks, videos on various energy technologies and perspectives, and a significant section on environmental issues and
byproducts. The common thread throughout this work is the focus on how these technical and environmental issues impact people. Dr. Shanahan fulfilled his Army ROTC obligation after completing his master's degree. He wrote a letter to Room 17 in the Pentagon expressing his willingness to serve his obligation. In his letter, he requested to be a part of the Corps of Engineers in Germany, and his request was granted. The Pentagon appointed him a post engineer in Heilbronn, Germany, where he worked alongside 120 professional Germans. From 1964 to late 1966, he served in the army while working with Germans. During his time there, he found a university that allowed him to pursue his desired thesis, now known as the Technical University of Hanover, where he studied for his doctorate. In the army, he met a woman from Denver, Colorado, who was interested in learning German, and they married. They are still married today. He obtained a Doctorate of Engineering from Ruhr University, Bochum, in 1969, his highest degree.