Wednesday, April 5th, 7:00 p.m.
Cal Tech’s Austin Minnich will present a fascinating program
on climate change and its ramifications at Crowell Public Library, Wednesday,
April 5th. Climate change is
often viewed through the lens of complicated changes in weather patterns over
the globe. However, the fundamental cause of climate change is simple and can
be understood by everyone.
In this talk, Minnich will
describe exactly why climate change is occurring and its effects on our planet
using basic physical principles. In particular, how the science that enables us
to drive cars, use electric power, and keep our food cold in refrigerators also
governs why extra carbon dioxide in our atmosphere must result in excess heat
trapped on Earth. Minnich will show why
common arguments that deny climate change is occurring contradict the basic
physics underlying technology in our modern society. Although the present
situation is serious, huge gains can be made in mitigating the effects of
climate change with existing technology while also positively impacting the
economy, air quality, and a host of other factors. Acting now to employ these
commercially available technologies ensures that our planet will be preserved
for our children and grandchildren.
Austin Minnich is an
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics at the
California Institute of Technology. He received his Bachelor’s degree from UC
Berkeley in 2006 and his PhD from MIT in 2011, after which he started his
position at Caltech. He is the recipient of a 2013 NSF CAREER Award and a 2015
ONR Young Investigator Award. Austin
Minnich also runs the minnichlab (http://minnich.caltech.edu/index.html
) which focuses on understanding and engineering nanoscale heat transport for
applications in the energy field like thermoelectric waste heat recovery.
Adults, STEM students and all
curious non-scientists will enjoy this free presentation. Light refreshments will be served.
