Austin Peay's College of STEM to launch lecture series with 'Future of Water'
(Posted Oct. 18, 2018)
The Austin Peay College of STEM will welcome Dr. Todd Halihan, the 2018 McEllhiney Distinguished Lecturer, to campus 1:30-2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, in the Morgan University Center Ballroom to lecture on the future of water.
His lecture is the first of the College of STEM Lecture Series, which will bring interdisciplinary STEM speakers to campus to educate faculty, staff, students, alumni and the community.
The title of the lecture is “The Future of Water: Data or Instincts?”
The talk will explore how economics, politics and basic human instincts have influenced decisions about water.
“Our instincts are built upon water that is visible, so we ignore evapotranspiration which causes salinization, reduced water availability, and increased infrastructure costs,” according to a lecture abstract. Secondly, “our development of water preceded satellite data and computing power,” which “resulted in ignoring complicated groundwater systems.”
The lecture will offer a framework to improve water resources.
Halihan is a professor of geology at Oklahoma State University and chief technical officer for Aestus LLC, a company whose core purpose is to “develop solutions to complex problems for the benefit of society and the environment.”
To learn more about the National Ground Water Association Foundation’s (NGWAF) William A. McEllhiney Distinguished Lecture Series in Water Well Technology, go to www.ngwa.org/events-and-education/mcellhiney-lecture-series-in-water-well-technology.
The NGWAF forbids audio and video recordings during the lecture.