A Brief History of Transportation and a Look to the Future
Modern society has been enabled by energy use, fuels, and the machines to safely, quickly, reliably, and inexpensively transport both goods and people. While imperfect, modern transportation systems are nothing short of miracles of engineering. As transportation systems continue to evolve and change, it is wise to consider the energy pathways of the past, where transportation energy has come from, and where it might be going to. In this presentation Professor Erickson reviews the past and casts a vision for the future where fast, safe, reliable, cheap and environmentally friendly transportation might be available to all. The discussion ranges from technical to historical, from autonomous vehicles to hydrogen fuel cells, from modern aircraft engines to the Wright brothers, from human folly to our amazing capacity to predict, and from coal to politics, battles, and world wars.
Professor Paul Erickson of the University of California, Davis is a specialist in thermal science and renewable power technology. He has pioneered efforts to enhance heat and mass transfer in reacting flows by flow impingement and disturbance techniques and has experience in both theoretical and applied energy research. He currently is the director of the UC Davis Energy Research Laboratory where he and his research team are striving to advance the engineering body of knowledge regarding energy conversion from primary energy sources, gas to liquid technologies, endothermic fuels and the utilization of novel fuels in both combustion and electrochemical systems. Professor Erickson received his BS and MS degrees from Brigham Young University in Provo Utah and his PhD from the University of Florida As a Full Professor and tenured member of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering faculty at UC Davis, Professor Erickson both performs research and regularly teaches courses in thermodynamics, advanced energy conversion, and instrumentation and transportation technology at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. He occasionally performs engineering consulting work in the field of energy conversion for both industry and governments around the world. He is a devoted husband and father of six children and enjoys photography, backpacking, bicycling, rock climbing, canyoneering, and the sport of fencing.
The Science and Society Discussion Series is a public forum hosted by the Woodland Public Library where the public and experts from different fields come together to discuss complex, controversial issues at the intersection of scientific knowledge and civic life that illustrate the challenges for public policymaking.
Examples of controversial topics are environmental disasters, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), climate change, the relationship between science and public policy, and how the public becomes informed about these issues.
The sessions provide opportunities for the public and those engaged in research and policymaking to share ideas and concerns. We hope such public discussions will become models for polite and meaningful engagement of participants with differing points of view and that they will increase understanding of the issues and contribute to more informed development of future public policies.
All are welcome to attend and we encourage an open dialogue on all the topics presented. For more information about the Science and Society Discussion Series please contact the library at science.library@cityofwoodland.org or 530-661-5980.
Please e-mail science.library@cityofwoodland.org for the Zoom meeting link.