Winona State University will present “Fracking: The Bottom of the Barrel” with guest speaker Kurt Cobb at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, in Stark Auditorium.

Cobb will examine the future of shale oil and gas and the environmental tradeoffs of these new sources of hydrocarbons. He will also explore alternatives for powering communities and the economy.

Cobb is the author of “Prelude,” a peak-oil-themed thriller, and a columnist for the Paris-based science news site Scitizen. He speaks and writes frequently about energy and the environment.

This presentation is free and open to the public. It is jointly sponsored by the WSU English and geoscience departments.

For more information, email James Armstrong at JArmstrong@winona.edu.