UW News

October 1, 2018

Engineering lecture series focuses on engineering for social good

UW News

This fall, the University of Washington’s annual engineering lecture series will feature three College of Engineering faculty whose research is accelerating positive impact here and around the world. Their lectures — on assistive robots, environmental equity and disaster relief — are free and open to the public, but seating is limited and registration is required.

Building a robot butler: Toward fluent human-robot interaction

Siddhartha Srinivasa with a robot

Siddhartha Srinivasa with HERB (Home Exploring Robot Butler).Dennis Wise/University of Washington

The series kicks off Thursday, Oct. 11, in Kane Hall 130. Siddhartha Srinivasa, an associate professor in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, will be discussing his work on building caregiver robots. Robots with the capability to interact with humans as equals have potential to improve the daily lives of people who require assistive care, such as those with special needs. Learn how researchers are developing these robots using mathematical models and physics-based manipulation.

Updated 12/7/18 – video


Julian Marshall lecturing

Julian Marshall will talk about air pollution.University of Washington

Clearing the air: Environmental justice and air quality

On Tuesday, Oct. 30, in Kane Hall 130, civil and environmental engineering professor Julian Marshall will talk about how air pollution is the leading environmental health risk in the U.S. — and is responsible for thousands of deaths each year. His research examines how air pollution impacts different groups and has revealed that, on average, people of color are exposed to more air pollution. Now he is testing solutions to reduce the exposure disparity.

 

Updated 12/7/18 – video


Meeting our global obligations: The Hurricane Maria energy & health project

Lilo Pozzo in Puerto Rico

Lilo Pozzo led a combined research and service project to assess Hurricane Maria’s impact on the health of rural residents.Dennis Wise/University of Washington

The lecture series closes on Tuesday, Nov. 13, in Kane Hall 130 with chemical engineering associate professor Lilo Pozzo, who uses nanotechnology for clean energy and healthcare applications. In September 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and left its residents without power, water and sanitation systems. A group led by Pozzo initiated a combined research and service project to assess the disaster’s impact on the health of rural residents. She will discuss how this project provided emergency clean energy that helped vulnerable people in this community.

Updated 12/7/18 – video


All lectures are free and start at 7:30 p.m. Advance registration, either online or by calling 206-543-0540, is required. All lectures will be broadcast at a later date on UWTV.

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