Athens, Ga. – Energy security and climate change mitigation are two very closely linked issues woven around the homegrown solution of biofuels. But what are the environmental implications of our current renewable energy strategies?
On Thursday, January 24, UGA welcomes Jerry Schnoor, engineering professor and co-director of the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research at the University of Iowa, as speaker in the ongoing engineering seminar series, Innovations at the Interface. Sponsored by the Faculty of Engineering, Schnoor’s seminar will be held in room 248 of the Student Learning Center at 4 p.m.
Schnoor, who has served as editor of the journal Environmental Science and Technology since 2003 and as a member of the EPA Science Advisory Board since 2006, will discuss many of the theoretical and practical implications of climate change and renewable energy alternatives. In light of new federal goals for biofuel production in the U.S., which include greatly expanded production of ethanol from corn, examining the conditions surrounding new energy solutions has seen increased visibility and importance.
“Jerry Schnoor is that rare individual whose experience and professional focus has coalesced in perhaps the pre-eminent issue of our day, global climate change,” said seminar series chair K.C. Das. “As we, as a nation, and, here at UGA, move forward with new strategies for energy independence, the implications for our environment are as important as the economics of which strategies will become viable.”
The seminar and discussion series is designed to bring together faculty and students who are interested in technology and how it impacts society. Schnoor’s work illustrates the increasing complexity of environmental issues and their potential solutions. This talk will examine the environmental impacts of biofuels, with a discussion of whether the goals of energy security can be accomplished in a more sustainable fashion.
The presentation by Schnoor will be followed by a reception. The monthly seminar series is free and open to public. For more information, please visit http://www.engineering.uga.edu/events/ .
The UGA Faculty of Engineering was established in 2001 to advance comprehensive engineering at the University of Georgia. With more than 100 members from twenty-four departments in nine schools and colleges across campus, the Faculty of Engineering provides an entrepreneurial setting for engineering academic programs in the unique environment of UGA. For more information, visit www.engineering.uga.edu.
