Northwestern Events Calendar

Mar
6
2026

Buffett First Friday Lunch | The Global Urban Underground: A Mine of Heat with Alessandro F. Rotta Loria

When: Friday, March 6, 2026
12:30 PM - 1:45 PM CT

Where: 720 University Place, Second Floor, Evanston, IL 60208 map it

Audience: Faculty/Staff - Student - Post Docs/Docs - Graduate Students

Contact: May Malone  

Group: Buffett First Friday Lunches

Category: Global & Civic Engagement, Academic, Social, Lectures & Meetings

Description:

Join the Buffett Institute for a faculty research lunchtime talk series on the first Friday of every month. Faculty members give a half-hour talk intended for a broad, multidisciplinary audience of Northwestern students, faculty and staff, followed by a conversational Q&A. Lunch is provided beginning at 12:15 p.m.

In this talk, Alessandro F. Rotta Loria will reveal a stark reality that has unfolded over centuries beneath our cities—temperatures surpassing even the highest ever recorded in Death Valley. He will explore the challenges that these extreme conditions pose to civil infrastructure, public health, and the environment around the world, while also demonstrating how the urban underground represents a vast, untapped source of heat that can be harnessed to power our cities.

Please note that 720 University Place is not an ADA-accessible space. Increasing physical access to buildings and facilities is a goal of the University, but not all buildings and venues have been updated.

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