Jerad Bales, one of the world’s leading water resource experts, will address growing concerns and issues related to water availability, challenges, and safety at a UT appearance on Monday, September 26.
Bales, the US Geological Survey’s national chief scientist for water, will deliver the lecture, “Water Resources in a Time of Extremes,” at 3:30 p.m. in Room 410 of the John D. Tickle Engineering Building. The event is free and open to the public.
Pressures placed on limited freshwater resources by population changes—both in growth and in migration—and by climatic factors have created a time of uncertainty in planning for future needs.
“We are living in a time where there is increased focus on water use and availability with new challenges arising all the time,” said Thanos Papanicolaou, a UT professor in civil and environmental engineering. “He will address some of these issues and hopefully help further the discussion on confronting the problems.”
Bales, a leading expert in the United States on such issues, will discuss the importance of finding new ways of using and conserving water, particularly in areas such as agriculture and energy production that are vital to humanity.
The State of Tennessee Water Resources Research Center, which is part of the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment at UT, and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering are sponsoring the visit.
The center, a federally designated state research institute supported in part by the USGS, serves as a primary link between researchers, businesses, and government entities in the critical area of water resources.
In addition to his USGS role, Bales has testified or worked with such bodies as the United Nations, the National Science Foundation, and the National Science and Technology Council.
His visit highlights the increasing role that UT is playing in water resource studies around the country, some of which will involve the university’s Hydraulics and Sedimentation Lab.
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C O N T A C T :
David Goddard (865-974-0683, david.goddard@utk.edu)