February 18, 2004
Contact: Jo Ann Lloyd
(805) 756-1511
Caltech Physicist To Talk on ‘Running Out of Gas’ March 2 at Cal Poly
SAN LUIS OBISPO -- Caltech physicist David Goodstein will talk about
what he refers to as an impending global oil crisis from 11 a.m. to noon
March 2 in Philips Hall in the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly.
Goodstein will present “Energy, Technology and Climate: Running
Out of Gas” as part of the university’s Physics Department
colloquium series. The talk is based on his just-published book of the
same title.
“We are faced with a grave crisis that may change our lives forever,”
Goodstein said. “We live in a civilization that evolved on the promise
of an endless supply of cheap oil. The era of cheap oil will end, probably
much sooner than most people realize. This talk will put this looming
crisis in perspective and judge its significance.”
Goodstein is vice provost and professor of physics and applied physics
at Caltech, where he has been on the faculty for more than 35 years. In
1995, he was named the Frank J. Gilloon Distinguished Teaching and Service
Professor. In 1999, Goodstein was awarded the prestigious
Oersted Medal of the American Association of Physics Teachers for his
contributions to the teaching of physics. He has served on and chaired
numerous scientific and academic panels, including the National Advisory
Committee to the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate of the
National Science Foundation.
He is a founding member of the board of directors of the California Council
on Science and Technology. His books include “States of Matter”
and “Feynman’s Lost Lecture,” written with his wife,
Judith Goodstein.
In the 1980s he was director and host of the highly acclaimed television
series “The Mechanical Universe,” an educational television
series that has been used by millions of students worldwide.
Goodstein has recently turned his attention to issues related to science
and society. In articles, speeches and colloquia he has addressed conduct
and misconduct in science, the end of exponential growth of the scientific
enterprise, and issues related to fossil fuel and Earth’s climate.
The public is invited to the
free presentation, sponsored by the College of Science and Mathematics,
the Physics Department and the President's Office. For more information,
call the Physics Department at 756-2448.
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