Athens, Ga. – University of Georgia Faculty of Engineering member Tom Lawrence has been selected to serve a two-year term as a distinguished lecturer by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, ASHRAE. Among the premier engineering societies in the United States, the mission of ASHRAE is to advance the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world.

Lawrence, a public service associate in the Faculty of Engineering who came to academia in 2004 after nearly 20 years in industry, is already a recognized leader in green building and sustainable technologies at UGA. He was instrumental in starting the building energy evaluations program at UGA that has grown into a university-wide energy efficiency initiative. Under this initiative, old and new buildings across campus will undergo multi-year evaluations to determine whether they are candidates for the implementation of methods to conserve energy use. Lawrence’s undergraduate students have been involved in the study of potential energy conservation measures in the Driftmier Engineering Center.

“This is a great honor for Dr. Lawrence, in recognition of both his technical and communications expertise,” said Dale Threadgill, director of the UGA Faculty of Engineering. “At a time when green design and sustainability are the focus of great attention in every sector of our society, this recognition reflects strongly on UGA as a leader in energy conservation.”

ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturers are selected by its Chapter Technology Transfer Committee and the appointment takes effect July 1. The program was developed to provide its chapters, located throughout the world, with leading-edge lecturers equipped to speak on relevant subjects of interest to members and guests.

“I am quite honored and humbled by this selection,” Lawrence said. “This will be one more way for me to help raise awareness of the issues involved in sustainable design as well as contribute to overall society in a vital way.”

The UGA Faculty of Engineering was established in 2001 to advance comprehensive engineering at the University of Georgia. With more than 100 members from twenty-four departments in nine schools and colleges across campus, the Faculty of Engineering provides an entrepreneurial setting for engineering academic programs in the unique environment of UGA. For more information, visit http://www.engineering.uga.edu/ .

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