Dr. David Allen, in front of trailers equipped to take air samples and evaluate meteorological conditions for a study of Eastern Texas air quality. (Jennie Trower/The University of Texas at Austin)
Good Talks -- Bad Air
David Allen, Ph.D.
University of Texas, Austin
AEESP Distinguished Lecturer
The Texas Air Quality Studies:
State of the science of air quality in Texas and implications for air quality policy
May 16, 2008, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
3001 PES, UC Davis
Sustainable engineering:
A model for engineering education in the twenty-first century?
May 16, 2008, 4:00 – 6:00 pm
3001 PES, UC Davis
According to the American Lung Association, Texans breathe a bit easier than Californians. Seven of the ten highest levels of ozone, a component of smog, are found in metropolitan areas in California, and only two of the ten highest ozone levels are in Texas. On May 16 Professor David Allen, Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Resources at the University of Texas at Austin, will present an overview of Texas air quality studies, followed later that afternoon by a discussion of sustainable engineering.
As lead investigator, Allen coordinated 300 researchers drawn from around the world to assemble the largest air quality field studies ever undertaken in Texas. He will provide an overview of the urban atmospheric chemistry that emerged from the studies and the policy implications for the highly reactive compounds that contribute to ozone and the emission cap and trade program.
A recipient of teaching awards at UCLA and the University of Texas, Allen’s current work focuses primarily on urban air quality and the development of materials for environmental education. He completed his M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology and is the author of six books and over 170 papers ranging from coal liquefaction and heavy oil chemistry to the chemistry of urban atmospheres.
This Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) distinguished lecturer is sponsored by the John Muir Institute of the Environment.