Athens, Ga. – The impact of engineering – whether on debates over public policy issues or the search for next-generation wonder drugs – is growing with the increased complexity of society. The need for intellectual and scientific rigor, informed by a diversity of perspectives, is a key to sustainable engineering solutions. A new seminar series at the University of Georgia beginning March 22 explores the interactions between engineering, sciences and humanities taking place on the UGA campus.
“Innovations at the Interface: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Engineering, Science and Society” is sponsored by the UGA Faculty of Engineering. The series begins with a seminar by Professor Suchendra Bhandarkar on Thursday, March 22 at 4 p.m. in room 150 of the Student Learning Center. As veteran researcher, author and computer scientist at UGA, Bhandarkar will talk about the role of imaging in the engineering of complex systems will introduce examples from a wide range of problem domains, from industrial production planning to video surveillance to ex vivo surgical planning to computational biology.
The seminar and discussion series is designed to bring together faculty and students who are interested in technology and how it impacts society. In keeping with the multi-disciplinary fabric of the seminar, discussion will be moderated by Bill Kretzschmar, Harry and Jane Willson Professor of Humanities in the department of English, whose research has led to advanced methods for quantitative analysis in the gathering of linguistic survey data.
“It is imperative that we continue to increase awareness of the pervasive role of engineering in society and its impact on how we live,” said Dale Threadgill, director of the Faculty of Engineering. “Society requires the efforts of people and expertise from the cultures of many disciplines, and engineering contributes significantly to this diversity of input and participation.”
The presentation by Bhandarkar and discussion with Kretzschmar will be followed by a reception. The seminar series, which will continue in April, is free and open to the entire UGA community. For more information, please visit http://www.engineering.uga.edu/events/ .
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 www.engineering.uga.edu .
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