Contact: Jason A. Smith, communications director
Madison—In the wake of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico—arguably America’s worst environmental disaster—does nuclear power look any more appealing than it did after the Three Mile Island accident in 1979? Or are wind- and solar-power America’s safest energy alternatives to fossil fuel? Two of the Midwest’s leading energy researchers consider the options in an invigorating exchange, Fuels Paradise: A Conversation on Nuclear and Renewable Energy Technologies.
As part of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters’ Academy Evenings “Talk to Me” conversation series, Michael Corradini, chair of Engineering Physics and the Wisconsin Distinguished Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics at UW–Madison, and Jane Davidson, chair in Renewable Energy and director of the Solar Energy Laboratory at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, discuss how the science surrounding these technologies has developed over the last several decades, and what science tells us about the pros and cons of nuclear and solar energy. This second Academy Evening of the “Talk to Me” conversation series is free and open to the public. Join in the conversation on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 from 7:00–8:30 pm at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art lecture hall, 221 State Street. Doors open at 6:15 pm.
Those who cannot attend in person can tune into the live webcast, sponsored by the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy at UW–Madison. For more information or to tune in to the live webcast at 6:55 pm, visit our website at http://www.wisconsinacademy.org.
Michael Corradini is chair of Engineering Physics and Wisconsin Distinguished Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics at UW–Madison. His research focuses on fluid flow and heat transfer as it applies to nuclear power systems. He holds appointments in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Institute of Environmental Studies. Corradini was elected a 1990 Fellow of the American Nuclear Society and in 1998 was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. In 2002 and 2003, he served as a presidential appointee as the chairman of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board. In 2004, he was appointed as a board member of the INPO National Accreditation Board for Nuclear Training and the National Council on Radiation Protection. In 2006, he was appointed to the scientific advisory board to the French Civilian Atomic Energy Agency. In 2006, he was also appointed to the USNRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards.
Jane Davidson is a professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Solar Energy Laboratory at the University of Minnesota. Her current research addresses mixed and natural convection heat transfer in thermal storage systems, material characterization and thermal transport processes in polymer-based solar collectors and heat exchangers, nanostructures for solar thermo-chemical cycles, development of energy efficient roof structures, and chemical processes in gaseous electrical discharges. She has served as editor of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, as chair of the ASME Solar Energy Division, and on the Boards of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) and the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation. Professor Davidson has been recognized many times for her efforts in research and engineering education. She is a Fellow of ASME and ASES.
About Academy Evenings
Academy Evenings engage the public in a wide variety of topics of public interest and feature Wisconsin’s leading thinkers, scholars, and artists. These free forums are intended to encourage public interaction with these leaders in an intimate atmosphere designed to foster discussion and build community. The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters sponsors Academy Evenings regularly in Overture Center for the Arts in Madison and at other venues across the state. For more information on Academy Evenings in your area, visit wisconsinacademy.org .
