Sigma Xi/UNM Lecture Schedule

Lecture Schedule

University of New Mexico Chapter

Distinguished Public Talks: 2005-2006

All talks will be held at 5:00 p.m. at the UNM Conference Center, 1634 University Blvd. NE. FREE parking is available in the attached (well lit) parking lot. Refreshments will be served at 4:30 p.m. For more information contact Professor Harjit S. Ahluwalia, Dept of Physics & Astronomy; T: 277-2941, F: 277-1520; e-mail: hsa@unm.edu.

Fall 2005

	Professor Nitant Kenkre, UNM, Albuquerque, NM. Thursday, 15 September, *Mice, Men and Mathematics: Investigations into Spread of Epidemics*.

	Professor John Engen, UNM, Thursday, 29 September, Tapy Hall Rm. 201. YIA talk, *Will Weighing Molecules Unlock Some Secrets of Cancer?*

	Professor Gregory Taylor, UNM, Albuquerque, NM. Thursday, 6 October, *Gamma Ray Bursts: The Largest Explosions in the Universe.*

	Professor Jack Sandweiss, Yale University, New Haven, CT. Friday, 18 November, *New States of Nuclear Matter, Hot and Cold.*

	Professor Carlton Caves, UNM, Albuquerque, NM. Thursday, 15 December, *What the bleep do we know about Quantum Communication?*

*Spring 2006*

	Professor Karla Parsons-Hubbard, Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio. Thursday, 16 February, *The Stories Clams Tell: How Fossil Preservation Reflects Depositional Environment.*

	Professors Billie and John Collier, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. Thursday, 9 March, *Lyocell - The New Green Fiber.*

	Professor Robert Duncan, UNM, Albuquerque, NM. Thursday, 13 April, *Complexity and Quantum Phenomena: The Path Forward to Nanotechnology Revolution.*

	Science & Engineering Fair finalists will be recognized at the Lodestar Astronomy Center, Museum of Natural History & Science, on Thurs, 21 April at 4:00 p.m.; a FREE Planetarium show will follow. Sigma Xi/IEEE members' families invited.

	The annual Sigma Xi/IEEE awards banquet will be held in Room C, UNM Conference Center, on Monday, 15 May 2006, 5-9 PM. Dr. Gerold Yonas, Sandia National Laboratories, will speak on Wicked Engineering. Abstract of Talk A Wicked Engineer is able to deal with Wicked Problems. Wicked Problems have the following characteristics: Every problem is essentially unique. There is no definitive formulation. There is no exhaustively describable set of potential solutions. There is no immediate and no ultimate test of a solution. Every one is a symptom of another problem. Every one always occurs in a social context. Dr. Gerold Yonas Biographical Sketch Dr. Gerold (Gerry) Yonas is currently Principal Scientist and Vice President at Sandia National Laboratories. His career began at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1962 as a senior scientist. In 1967, Dr. Yonas joined Physics International and was responsible for investigating the physics of high power electron beams. In 1972, he joined Sandia National Laboratories, where he initiated and directed the particle beam fusion program and the particle beam weapon program. Dr. Yonas was chosen to serve as Chairman of the Directed Energy Weapon Panel of the Fletcher study that formed the basis for the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) Program in 1983. He was subsequently chosen to serve as the first Chief Scientist and Acting Deputy Director for the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) from 1984 to 1986. In 1986, Dr. Yonas joined Titan Corporation as President of Titan Technologies. He rejoined Sandia in 1989 as Director of Laboratory Development, and in 1991, he became Vice President of Systems Applications where he focused on strategic leadership in new initiatives for global surveillance, battlefield sensors, and non-nuclear high precision weapons. In 1995, Dr. Yonas became VP of Systems, Science, and Technology, and in 1999, he became Principal Scientist and initiated Sandia's Advanced Concepts Group. After completing a BS in Engineering Physics at Cornell University in 1962, Dr. Yonas received a Guggenheim fellowship for graduate study at the California Institute of Technology and earned a Ph.D. in Engineering Science and Physics in 1966. Dr. Yonas is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and an elected Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Most recently, the United States Air Force (USAF) presented Dr. Yonas with an award for meritorious civilian service for his contributions as a member of the USAF Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Yonas was awarded the BEAMS prize in recognition of his original contributions to the field of particle beams, origination of the BEAMS conference series in 1975, and support of particle beam technologies over the last 30 yrs. He was also awarded the IEEE Peter Haas Award for outstanding service to the field of pulsed power technology, and the Fusion Power Associates Leadership Award for development of pulsed power technologies for fusion power and national defense applications. He holds a U.S. Patent for a Relativistic Electron Beam Accelerator concept. He received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public service for exceptionally meritorious service to his country by significant contributions to the nation's Strategic Defense Initiative. Dr. Yonas is a member of the U.S. Special Operations Command Science Panel, the U.S. Army Science Assessment Group, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Technical Advisory Group, and the Center for Strategic & International Studies Commission on Global Aging. He serves on the Advisory Council for the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell University, as well as on the Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisory Council at the University of New Mexico.

Sponsors: Albuquerque Section of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE), Sigma Xi Headquarters, Offices of Vice-Presidents for Research and for Health Sciences, School of Engineering, College of Arts & Sciences, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University Honors Program, and the Division of Continuing Education.