About the Lectures

When: Saturdays, from 26 January to 1 March, 2008, from 11:00 a.m. to about 12:30 p.m.

Where: 100 Thomas Building.

The Penn State Lectures on the Frontiers of Science is a series of Saturday-morning lectures begun in 1995 by a group of Penn State Eberly College of Science faculty in the Center for Gravitational Physics and Geometry. It was an innovative move for our college because these lectures were designed for the enjoyment and education of average citizens rather than for a specialized audience composed exclusively of scientists, as were our other annual lectures at that time. Abhay Ashtekar, director of the center and holder of the Eberly Family Chair in Physics, explained at that time, "One of the missions of the center is to improve scientific literacy both on and off campus by presenting such public lectures." (more history)

 

 

Saturday Science Lectures to Explore Strategies for Our Energy Future

"Running on Empty?: Strategies for Our Energy Future" is the theme of the 2008 Penn State Lectures on the Frontiers of Science, a series of free public lectures that will begin on Saturday, 26 January 2008. Designed as a free minicourse for the enjoyment and education of residents in Central Pennsylvania communities, the lectures take place on six consecutive Saturday mornings from 11:00 a.m. to about 12:30 p.m. in 100 Thomas Building on the Penn State University Park campus.

This free minicourse consists of six lectures concerning current research on various energy options and the environmental consequences of their use. The lectures include:

• 26 January: "Fueling the Future: A Place for Coal?" by Harold H. Schobert, professor of fuel science at Penn State
  Preview: Coal is sometimes regarded as the ultimate "bad guy" in today's energy picture. Is there still a place for coal in our energy future? Or is coal dead? Transportation will continue to rely on liquid fuels for decades, and coal can be a source of these fuels. Learn about the challenges that must be met in understanding the chemistry of coal, in developing cost-effective conversion methods, and in harnessing coal's carbon as a fuel for the future.
• 2 February: "Global Warming and Our Future" by Richard Alley, Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences at Penn State
  Preview: The high cost of energy after whale-oil production peaked helped convince Pennsylvanians to drill for petroleum. The success of that first Drake well helped preserve the whales, but is now contributing to global warming. Learn why scientists are confident that our burning of oil, coal, and other fossil fuels will have large impacts on the Earth's climate and living things, including us, if we ignore the available cost-effective solutions.
• 9 February: "The Promise of Solar Energy" by John H. Golbeck, professor of biochemistry and biophysics, professor of chemistry at Penn State
  Preview: Energy from the Sun in the form of light and heat often is touted as a solution to the problems of global energy and global climate change. How realistic is this promise and what new technologies are under development? Learn what fraction of the future energy mix today's solar technologies are ready to provide.
• 16 February: "Biofuels: Tapping Nature's Abundance" by Tom L. Richard, associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering and director of the Penn State Institutes for Energy and the Environment
  Preview: Plants are nature's solar collectors, capturing as much solar energy in a week as humans use in a year. Learn about research that is unlocking the potential of this vast renewable energy resource by increasing the productivity and sustainability of agricultural and forest systems, and by applying the tools of modern molecular biology to access the energy stored in the cell walls of plants.
• 23 February: "The Renaissance of Nuclear Power: An Energy Source of the Future" by Jack S. Brenizer, Jr., the J. 'Lee' Everett Professor of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering and Chair of the Nuclear Engineering Program at Penn State
  Preview: A renewed interest in nuclear power is now occurring, after almost three decades of controversy and an unofficial moratorium on building new plants in the United States. Advanced designs have been developed and approved, new license applications have been filed, and new plants have been ordered. Learn the reasons why this renaissance is happening, the safety and reliability features of the new designs, and why next-generation nuclear energy is more attractive to both U. S. and international energy suppliers.
• 1 March: "Fuel Cells: Are We There Yet?" by Matthew M. Mench, associate professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Fuel Cell Dynamics and Diagnostics Laboratory at Penn State
  Preview: The promise of hydrogen fuel cells is highly touted, and there are increasing numbers of working prototypes for automotive, stationary, and portable applications, but mass commercialization still has not arrived. Learn about the real limitations to fuel-cell technology, and what must happen before we all will be able to drive a fuel-cell-powered car to work.

Thomas Building is located at the intersection of Pollock and Shortlidge Roads on the Penn State University Park Campus. Parking is available in the Eisenhower Parking Deck behind Eisenhower Auditorium. For more information or access assistance, contact the Eberly College of Science Office of Public Information by telephone at (814) 863-0901, by e-mail at science@psu.edu, or click on the web link at http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/frontiers/

The Penn State Lectures on the Frontiers of Science are a program of the Penn State Eberly College of Science. The 2008 series is sponsored jointly by the Eberly College of Science and the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, with additional financial support provided by a gift from the Chevron Corporation.

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