Fall Lecture Series

Each fall, the College of Engineering partners with the UW Alumni Association to present a series of free lectures featuring our distinguished faculty and industry experts.

Engineering Xtreme Challenges: Outer Space to Cyberspace

The 2009 Engineering Lecture Series goes to extremes to feature big challenges. Moving from the new frontier of cyber security to inside the final Hubble mission to revolutionizing power transmission, the series showcases engineering’s innovative solutions for an ever changing world.

All lectures will be held at 7 p.m. in Kane Hall on the UW Seattle campus. Lectures are free but seating is limited.

Registration is required. Register online at UWalum.com or by calling (206) 543-0540.

The Cyberspace Data Explosion: Boon or Black Hole?

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at 7 p.m. in Kane Hall

Magdalena Balazinska, Assistant Professor, Computer Science & Engineering

Tadayoshi Kohno, Assistant Professor, Computer Science & Engineering

We are entering a cyber world where millions of sensors continuously collect data. From the ocean bottom to deep space, scientists are monitoring environments at unprecedented scales. On a more personal level, implanted medical devices can now monitor our well-being, and "smart chips" embedded in passports, IDs, and transit cards can track our comings and goings. Massive, ubiquitous databanks offer promise of great benefits but also dangers. How do we manage this data onslaught wisely? How do we guard our privacy and ensure our safety? UW scientists are asking these questions and blazing research trails on the latest frontiers of cyber-security.

Eye on the Universe: Final Mission to Hubble

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 7 p.m. in Kane Hall

Gregory Johnson, ’77, NASA Astronaut

The 19-year-old Hubble Space Telescope has yielded stunning images and a remarkable scientific legacy —revealing new insight into the age of the universe, black holes, and the role of "dark energy" in our expanding universe. Husky alum Gregory Johnson piloted the space shuttle Atlantis for the final service mission to Hubble. Imagine the extreme challenges of launching the shuttle 358 miles into space, capturing the huge telescope, and making tricky repairs during five spacewalks. Johnson takes us on a thrilling journey into space and inside the final mission to Hubble.

Energy Crisis, Smart Solutions

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 7 p.m. in Kane Hall

Carl Imhoff, Manager, Electricity Infrastructure Market Sector, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)

Shwetak Patel, Assistant Professor, Computer Science & Engineering and Electrical Engineering

Our nation’s electric grid must transform into an integrated digital system to meet expanding 21st century power demands. PNNL is a leading contributor in the nation’s billion-dollar push to develop “smart grids” and the technologies that will radically transform grid operation, increase energy efficiency, incorporate renewable energy, support electrification of the transportation sector and produce a smaller carbon footprint. Meanwhile, UW engineers are inventing sensors to monitor resource use in real time and encourage efficiency in the home – smarter energy from source to user.