Plenary Lecture 2: Mildred Dresselhaus
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
TITLE: Energy Research: Opportunities and Challenges
ABSTRACT: An overview of the challenges of providing energy to an increasing
global population with greater expectations for residential comforts, industrial development, and transportation mobility is discussed within the constraints of present energy supply and environmental concerns. The topics covered will span solar energy as an energy source, hydrogen as a transfer agent, and thermoelectrics for energy conversion and for cooling. The interconnection between different components of the energy will be considered. Emphasis is given to the role for basic research in addressing these challenges and the opportunities for young people to advance their careers while addressing societal concerns.
BIOGRAPHY: Mildred Dresselhaus is an Institute Professor of Electrical Engineering and Physics at MIT. Her research over the years has covered a wide range of topics in Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. She is best known for her work on carbon science and carbon nanostructures. She is also one of the researchers responsible for the resurgence of the Thermoelectrics research field 15 years ago. She co-chaired a DOE Study on "Basic Research Needs for the Hydrogen Economy in 2003 and more recently co-chaired of a National Academy Decadal Study of Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. She served as Director of the DOE Office of Science toward the end of the Clinton Administration. Professor Dresselhaus is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and has served as President of the American Physical Society, Treasurer of the National Academy of Sciences, President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and on numerous advisory committees and councils. Dr. Dresselhaus has received numerous awards, including the US National Medal of Science and 24 honorary doctorates. Her recent awards include the L'Oreal-UNESCO 2007 North American Laureate for Women in Science, and the 2008 recipient of the Oersted Medal for Physics Education from the American Association for Physics Teachers and of the 2008 Buckley Prize for Condensed Matter Physics from the American Physical Society.
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