Renowned climate expert James Hansen to deliver April 9 lecture
Apr 2, 2009 - by Staff
BOULDER—As part of its Walter Orr Roberts Distinguished Lecture series, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) will present a special lecture next week by NASA scientist James E. Hansen, one of the nation's most respected experts on climate change.
The lecture will be at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 9, at Macky Auditorium. It will be offered in conjunction with the Conference on World Affairs at the University of Colorado.
The title of Hansen's talk is: "Climate Threat to the Planet: Implications for Intergenerational and Environmental Justice."
About James Hansen
Hansen has served as director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York since 1981. He is also adjunct professor of earth and environmental sciences at Columbia University. Dr. Hansen's Ph.D. in physics and master's degree in astronomy are from the University of Iowa. With colleagues at GISS and abroad, he is developing and applying global numerical models to better understand climate trends.
In January, Hansen received the Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal, the American Meteorological Society's highest honor. He was also named by EarthSky Communications and a panel of 600 scientist-advisors as the 2008 Scientist Communicator of the Year for being an outspoken authority on climate change and for communicating clearly with the public about vital science issues and concepts.
Hansen is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Geophysical Union, which awarded him the Roger Revelle Medal in 2001. He is also a recipient of the Leo Szilard Lectureship Award of the American Physical Society. He has won two U.S. Presidential Rank awards for meritorious service as a government executive and is a Dan David Prize laureate.
About the Walter Orr Roberts Distinguished Lecture series
Walter Orr Roberts, in whose honor this lecture series was established, presided over the founding of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) as its first director. He also served as the first president of UCAR. He was a scientific pioneer and statesman whose influence will be felt for decades to come.