Gina McCarthy

The Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design recently awarded the third annual Carnot Prize to the Honorable Gina McCarthy, former Administrator for the United States Environmental Protection Agency. 

The award was presented to Ms. McCarthy at the Kleinman Center Energy Forum.

“It is our privilege to honor Gina McCarthy with our third Carnot Prize,” said Mark Alan Hughes, Kleinman Center faculty director. “Her career exemplifies the courage, creativity and commitment required to make great changes in energy policy. She is an inspiration to the rising generation of leaders at Penn and around the world.”

Ms. McCarthy served as the 13th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Barack Obama. Ms. McCarthy is an Institute of Politics Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and the Richard L. and Ronay A. Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The Carnot Prize is named in memory of French scientist Sadi Carnot, who in 1824 published “Reflections on the Motive Power of Fire,” which is now recognized as the first statement of the second law of thermodynamics. Carnot recognized that the power of the steam engine would “produce a great revolution” in human development. The Carnot Prize is intended to honor those leading revolutions in energy policy to further progress and prosperity.