November 3, 2009

UCSB Affiliates Explore Energy Production, Conservation, and Efficiency

A new Science Lite lecture series presented by the UCSB Affiliates will explore various aspects of energy, including production, conservation, and efficiency. John Bowers, professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the campus's Institute for Energy Efficiency, will present the first lecture on Thursday, November 12. Chris G. Van de Walle, professor of materials, will follow on Thursday, November 19, and the series will conclude with a talk by research physicist Mel Manalis on Thursday, December 10.

The lectures, which begin at 7:30 p.m., will take place at First Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 21 E. Constance Avenue. A reception at 7 p.m. will precede each lecture. Admission is $8 for UCSB Affiliates and Chancellor Council members, and $10 for all others. Advance reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the Office of Community Relations at (805) 893-4388.

Bowers, who holds the Fred Kavli Chair in Nanotechnology, will give a talk titled "Increasing Energy Efficiency: Waste Heat Recovery Using Novel Thermoelectrics." Thermoelectrics refers to the means by which thermal energy can be converted into electrical energy, or electrical energy can be used to move heat. Bowers will discuss the research being conducted by groups within the Institute for Energy Efficiency, as well as his own work on thermoelectrics.

Van de Walle, who is affiliated with the campus's Center for Energy Efficient Materials, Solid State Lighting and Energy Center, and Materials Research Laboratory, will continue the series with a talk on "The Solid State Lighting Revolution." He will discuss the development of light-emitting diode (LED)-based solid-state lighting technology, and how research at UCSB is at the forefront of these breakthroughs.

Manalis, who is also a lecturer in the campus's Environmental Studies Program, will bring the series to a close with a talk titled "Energy Sources and Climate: Thinking Outside the Box." He will discuss renewable and non-renewable energy sources, carbon sequestering, and climate as it relates to carbon and non-carbon coal.

More information about the Science Lite series is available at www.ia.ucsb.edu/comrel/events.shtml.

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The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.