Noted ethanol critic to lecture

Tad Patzek, a professor of civil engineering at the University of California- Berkeley who is distinguished both for his research on oil field peaking and depletion and for his often controversial, outspoken opposition to corn-based ethanol as a replacement for oil, will give the talk, “The environmental impacts of the corn-ethanol cycle,” on the UW–Madison campus Oct. 5.

He will speak to students and other interested listeners as part of a speaker series, “What would Aldo Leopold think about corn ethanol?” Sponsored by the UW–Madison Agroecology Program and the College of Engineering, the series explores the economic, ethical and ecological implications of biomass-based energy. About 60 students are registered for the speaker series, which also is open to the public. The talk is from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at 2241 Chamberlin Hall, 1150 University Ave.

Patzek, whose research and reviews about biofuels have been published in such journals as Science, Natural Resources Research, and Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, is available for media interviews on the afternoon of Oct. 6 and via telephone either before or after his visit.