When   Friday, November 6, 2009   Time   12:00 PM - 1:00 PM  
Where   Buffett Center Conference Room 1902 Sheridan   map it
Audience   - Faculty/Staff - Student
Contact   Krzysztof Kozubski  
Group   Buffett Center for International and Comparative Studies
More Info   http://www.bcics.northwestern.edu

Faculty & Fellows Colloquium » Hot Rocks, Strong Waves and High Tides:  A Review of Up-and-coming Carbon-Free Energy Sources
David C. Dunand, Materials Science and Engineering

Much research and development has been focused on the four most visible sources of renewable energy: biomass, hydroelectric, solar and wind. This talk provides an overview of three less developed sources of green power: waves (originating from the Sun), tides (from the Moon) and geothermal heat (from the Earth). The first two create electricity directly from kinetic energy, while the last one uses a heat engine. The current technology is reviewed, and prospects to scale up their current small contributions to World energy are discussed.

David C. Dunand is the James and Margie Krebs Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University. He does research on processing, structure and properties of light-weight metallic alloys, composites and foams. These new materials have uses spanning from energy-efficient transportation and power generation to bio-medical implants. He has published over 190 journal articles and holds 8 patents. Prior to joining Northwestern University in 1997, he was Assistant and then Associate Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from which he also holds a PhD degree. He is a fellow of ASM-International (formerly the American Society for Metals) and received the 2009 Distinguished Structural Materials Scientist/Engineer Award from TMS (The Materials Society). As co-director of the Initiative for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern (ISEN), he is also involved with addressing these topics on both Northwestern campuses by expanding research, teaching and outreach in an interdisciplinary manner.