Keynote Speakers
Marcia Bjornerud
Engineering for the Geologic Future
Engineering education has traditionally emphasized the “timeless” fields of physics and chemistry. In the Anthropocene, however, engineers need to adopt the “timeful” perspective of the geosciences—an understanding that we too live in geologic time. This includes a sense of the timescales of geologic processes, the evolutionary pathways that gave rise to the world of the present, and the potential for long-stable systems to undergo abrupt change. Engineering for the geologic future will require a new relationship with time and in particular the habit of seeing climate and landscapes as dynamic, responsive, and provisional.
Jana Milford
Preparing our Students to Engage in Public Policy
Jana Milford is Professor Emerita of Mechanical Engineering and Environmental Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her research focuses on assessing the air quality impacts of energy and transportation systems and on the role of scientific information in air quality management. Her teaching portfolio includes thermal-fluid sciences, air quality engineering, sustainable energy, and environmental law for engineers. Milford has served on the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission, the Science Advisory Board of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and committees of the National Academies of Sciences. She holds a B.S. in Engineering Science from Iowa State University, a M.S. in Civil Engineering and Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University, and a J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law.