SEAS Seminar Series: Engineering Challenges in the 21st Century

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FALL 2009

Monday, October 5, 2009

Energy and Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities
Presented by: Prof. Stephen Hsu, Dept. of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Location: Duques Hall, Room 651 (2201 G Street, NW)
Reception at 6:30 pm; seminar begins at 7:00 pm.
This talk will examine the current energy situation and outline the technical strategies and options that are available to respond to the dual challenges of meeting our energy needs and creating competitive alternative energy industries in the U.S. in the next 20 years.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Great Past and Future Project Design in Civil Engineering
Presented by: Prof. Pedro Silva, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Location: Marvin Center, Room 310
Reception at 6:30 pm; seminar begins at 7:00 pm.
Without successfully recognizing our past, we may never successfully engineer the future. This lecture will provide a historical overview of the design of key components of the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge, two projects that are key markers in the history of civil engineering. We will also look at the bridge over the Gibraltar Straights, a project that is still in the conceptual design phase and is likely to impact the design and construction of the built environment in the future.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Solar Energy
Presented by: Dr. Ken Zweibel, GW Institute for the Analysis of Solar Energy
Location: Marvin Center, Room 404
Reception at 6:30 pm; seminar begins at 7:00 pm.
Is it possible to use solar energy to be the source of most of our energy? This class will examine its potential and issues, and a possible path to making solar energy our key energy source.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Sustainability - Water Quality
Presented by: Prof. Rumana Riffat, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Location: Marvin Center, Room 310
Reception at 6:30 pm; seminar begins at 7:00 pm.
How clean is our water? What can we do as scientists and engineers to treat our polluted waters and prevent further pollution? This talk will provide an overview of problems and possible solutions to water and wastewater treatment and related environmental sustainability issues.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Smaller and Faster: Nanomaterials
Presented by: Prof. Martha Pardavi-Horvath, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Location: Marvin Center, Room 101
Reception at 6:30 pm; seminar begins at 7:00 pm.
Materials reduced to the nanoscale can suddenly show very different properties compared to what they exhibit on a macroscale, enabling unique applications in medicine, engineering, the cosmetics industry, information storage, communication, and many other fields. However, environmental and economical gains derived from the use of nanomaterials may be offset in part by the process used to manufacture them. The question, then, is how to optimize these materials and applications to achieve the best outcome for our world?

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