UA Engineering Hosts Combustion Institute Technical Meeting

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama College of Engineering will host the 2008 Spring Technical Meeting of the Combustion Institute’s Central States Section April 20-22 at the Bryant Conference Center.

Free lectures, which are open to the public, will be provided during the conference. Dr. Clark Midkiff, director of UA’s Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies and chair for the Central States Section, said these lectures will explore recent research on combustion crucial to efficiently and cleanly utilize fossil and alternate fuels.

“Not only will these presentations provide the public with information on integral conversion processes, but the lectures also allow professionals in diverse scientific and engineering disciplines to interchange information related to combustion science and applications,” said Midkiff.

The lectures will be in Sellers Auditorium and include the following topics:

Monday, April 21

• Biofuels for Transportation – Challenges and Opportunities, Andre L. Boehman, Penn State University, at 8:20 a.m.
• Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines, Steve Ciatti, Argonne National Laboratory at 9:10 a.m.

Tuesday, April 22

• The Role of Coal in Power/Fuels and Chemicals Generations in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities for Engineers, Massoud Rostam-Abadi, University of Illinois

Sponsors for the event include the National Science Foundation, Alabama Power, UA’s CAVT, UA’s College of Engineering, and the International Journal of Engine Research.

The aim of the Central States Section of the Combustion Institute is to provide for closer and more frequent contacts between members residing in the central states of the United States, promote the science and application of combustion, and provide a forum for the exchange of combustion information.

The Combustion Institute is an educational, non-profit, and scientific society whose purpose is to promote and disseminate research in combustion science.

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 2,300 students and more than 100 faculty. In the last seven years, students in the College have been named USA Today All-USA College Academic Team members, Goldwater scholars, Hollings scholars and Portz scholars.