Seminars

Joint ME/IE 8773-8774 Seminar
Inaugural Lecture
LM Fingerson/TSI Inc Distinguished Lecture Series

Global Climate Change: Sensitivities and Uncertainties

by

John H. Seinfeld
Louis E. Nohl Professor
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California

September 15, Wednesday, 4:00-5:00 pm
2-690 Moos Tower

Abstract: Increases in CO2 and other greenhouse gases have already led and will continue to lead to global warming. Predicting the extent and nature of future climate change represents one of the most challenging problems in science. The two most uncertain factors in this prediction are the role of aerosols and clouds. Aerosols perturb the solar radiation received on earth through scattering and absorption of radiation and through their effect on cloud formation. In this talk, we will survey the current understanding leading to prediction of future climate change.

Bio: John H. Seinfeld is the Louis E. Nohl Professor in the Divisions of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Engineering and Applied Science at the California Institute of Technology. He is a graduate of the University of Rochester, where he received a B.S. degree in chemical engineering, and of Princeton University, where he received a Ph.D. in chemical engineering. Professor Seinfeld is widely acknowledged for his research on the chemistry and physics of the atmosphere. Through both experimental and theoretical studies, he has made numerous contributions to our knowledge of the chemistry of the urban atmosphere, the formation, growth, and dynamics of atmospheric aerosols, and the role of aerosols in climate. Professor Seinfeld has received numerous honors and awards. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Professor Seinfeld received the Fuchs Award of the International Aerosol Research Assembly in 1998, an award given every four years and considered the highest honor bestowed for work in the field of aerosol science. He was President of the American Association for Aerosol Research. He was chairman of the NASA Working Group on Scientific Research Objectives in Tropospheric Pollution and served on the EPA Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee and the NASA Advisory Council. He was chairman of the National Research Council Committee on Tropospheric Ozone Formation and Measurement and of the NRC Panel on Aerosol Radiative Forcing and Climate. He is currently Vice Chair of the NRC Committee on Atmospheric Chemistry. Professor Seinfeld is the author of numerous scientific papers and books, including Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change (1998). He is the recipient of honorary doctorates from the University of Patras (Greece) and Carnegie Mellon University.

Join us for a wine and cheese reception, sponsored by TSI Incorporated, at the Weisman museum immediately following the lecture.