Weston Roundtable adds distinguished speakers on sustainable water, energy

A pair of leading figures in the field of sustainability — Jerry Schnoor of the University of Iowa and Dave Allen of the University of Texas at Austin — will speak at the University of Wisconsin–Madison this semester in two Weston Distinguished Lectures.

“These are high-profile speakers who can address sustainability from multiple perspectives — research, education and communication,” says Craig Benson, engineering professor and director of the UW–Madison Office of Sustainability, which is sponsoring the speakers along with the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment. “It’s an excellent opportunity for our campus sustainability community to engage with two top thinkers on hot-button issues.”

Schnoor, the Allen S. Henry Chair in Engineering at Iowa’s Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research, studies the shifting pressure on water resources, especially water’s role in energy production. His talk, “Water Sustainability in a Changing World,” begins at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7 in the DeLuca Auditorium at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery.

Allen, the Gertz Regents Professor of Chemical Engineering and director of Texas’ Center for Energy and Environmental Resources, has focused his research on the effect of energy sources like coal and oil on urban air quality. He will deliver his talk on hydraulic fracturing, “Atmospheric Impacts of Expanded Natural Gas Use,” at 4 p.m. March 14, also in the DeLuca Auditorium at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery.

More information on the Weston Roundtable Series and its distinguished lectures can be found here.