DOE Adviser to Keynote UA’s Blackburn Symposium on Energy Crisis, Alternative Fuel Solutions Oct. 30

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.  — Dr. Linda Blevins, an adviser for the U.S. Department of Energy and a University of Alabama alumna, will be the keynote speaker for the Gloria and John L. Blackburn Academic Symposium at UA Oct. 30.

The symposium, titled “A Hole in Your Pocket: Our Energy Crisis and Alternative Fuel Solutions,” will be held in Sellers Auditorium at the Bryant Conference Center. The event, sponsored by UA’s Blackburn Institute and the College of Engineering, begins with an 8 a.m. reception followed by Blevins’ remarks at 8:30 a.m.

The event is free and open to the public. It will also feature two panel discussions, “Lighting the Future: From Coal to Wind, Solar, Biomass & Nuclear Power” and “Your Future Mobility: What will you be Driving in 25 Years?”  The program concludes at noon.

Blevins is a senior technical advisor in the Office of the Deputy Director for Science Programs in the DOE’s Office of Science. She provides advice on science program management across the DOE Office of Science – which has an annual budget of nearly $5 billion that funds scientific research and facility construction and operation within advanced scientific computing research, biological and environmental research, basic energy sciences, fusion energy sciences, high energy physics and nuclear physics.

Blevins earned her bachelor’s degree from UA in 1989, her master’s degree from Virginia Tech and her doctorate from Purdue University. All her degrees are in mechanical engineering.

The Gloria and John L. Blackburn Academic Symposium is an endowed program sponsored by the UA Blackburn Institute and funded by the Donald and Priscilla “LuLu” Stewart family.

The Blackburn Institute, part of the UA Division of Student Affairs, is recognized as one of the most unique and effective leadership programs in the country. The purpose of the institute is to create a network of student leaders, the Blackburn Fellows, who have a clear understanding of the issues that face Alabama and the nation.

In 1837, The University of Alabama became one of the first five universities in the nation to offer engineering classes. Today, UA’s fully accredited College of Engineering has more than 2,700 students and more than 100 faculty. In the last eight years, students in the College have been named USA Today All-USA College Academic Team members, Goldwater scholars, Hollings scholars and Portz scholars.