NC State focuses on renewable energy to kick off Engineering, Policy and Society Seminar Series
What: This is the first event in the North Carolina State University Seminar Series on Engineering, Policy and Society. The series, which will continue on a biannual basis, provides a unique forum for broad interdisciplinary conversation on some of the world’s most pressing issues. This first seminar, “Renewable Energy: Engineering, Public Policy and Social Issues,” will focus on renewable energy in North Carolina and around the country.
When: Monday, April 26, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Stewart Theatre in the Talley Student Center, NC State main campus
Who: The keynote speaker will be Wendy Williams, a journalist and author whose most recent book examines the issues surrounding the proposed “Cape Wind” project off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. The event will also feature Ivan Urlaub, executive director of the NC Sustainable Energy Association; Mark Johnson, program director for Advanced Research Projects Agency — Energy in the US Department of Energy; and John Hardin, executive director of the NC Board of Science and Technology.
“Building a society that truly addresses the challenges of the 21st century will require a multi-faceted approach that brings people from different fields together to collaborate and create,” said Dr. Louis A. Martin-Vega, dean of the College of Engineering. “By fostering discussion among leading figures in engineering, the humanities and social sciences, this series is forming those problem-solving partnerships.”
“We all understand that solutions to the challenges of the 21st century lie not only in technological innovations but also in understanding and changing the way people act and the way they think,” said Dr. Jeff Braden, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “We need interdisciplinary connections that involve the humanities and the social and physical sciences to address these issues.”
Cost: This is a free event. No registration is required.
More information: See the series website.
Media Contacts:
Nate DeGraff, Engineering Communications, 919.515.3848
Lauren Kirkpatrick, CHASS Communications, 919.513.1829
