James Klausner, ARPA-E, will give the next lecture on December 7.

The nation's security and economic health are totally dependent upon access to stable, secure sources of affordable energy. Increasing global demand for energy and the either recent or looming peak in global production of readily accessible fossil fuels (other than coal) present the greatest of engineering challenges—to develop a future sustainable energy infrastructure. For our nation, the development of breakthrough energy technologies provides the best hope for achieving both a sustainable energy infrastructure and increased independence from foreign fuel sources. Investments in energy science and engineering will be critical for establishing sustainable domestic fuel supplies and improved efficiency for environmentally-friendly energy conversion devices while sustaining our economic health. Such "solutions" to the energy crisis will almost certainly require implementation of multiple emerging technologies (e.g. biomass, solar technology, advanced nuclear reactors, fuel cells, etc.) that will impact specific energy sectors in different ways.

To facilitate a broad discussion on the engineering challenges of developing breakthrough energy technology for a sustainable future, the Clark School will be hosting the Transforming Energy Lecture Series in which leading thinkers and technologists from academia, industry, and government will provide viewpoints on the challenges and discuss exciting new scientific and engineering breakthroughs that may impact the future development of a sustainable energy infrastructure for our nation. The lectures, held on Friday afternoon in Glenn L. Martin Hall on the University of Maryland campus, are open to all interested parties in the D.C. area.