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Public Affairs Discussion Group
"Wind Power and All of It's Aspects -
Environmental, Energy, Economic, Aesthetic, and Maybe More"
January 26, 2007
Clark Hall, Room 206
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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Phillip Taylor, Ph.D. & Sarah Taylor
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Dear Colleagues:
The topic for this Friday's Public Affairs
Discussion Group is a change of plans but very
timely.
Some of you may have noticed the recent story in the
Plain Dealer about putting windmills in Lake Erie,
to take advantage of an aspect of the local climate
that, at the moment, it may be hard to appreciate.
Sarah Taylor has been following these developments
closely, as part of her long-time interest in
economic development and technology in the area.
(Some of you may remember her informing people about
the construction of the Peter B. Lewis building).
Phil Taylor, Professor of Physics, is an expert on
the science of energy and has for many years taught
a course on Energy and Society. So it should be fun
to have them lead a discussion on windpower and all
its aspects – environmental, energy, economic,
aesthetic, and maybe more. They'll lead the
discussion on Friday, January 26, and it will be
held in the Baker-Nord Center, Room 206 of Clark
Hall, from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Cookies and beverages
will be provided. As always, the Friday Lunch is
open to all.
Next week, February 2, we finally return to Crawford
Hall, in what is now Room 9. Ken Grundy will host
the discussion.
Best regards,
Joe White
More About Our Guest
Phillip Taylor's research group works
principally in the area of physics known as "soft
condensed matter." This term refers to substances whose
molecules can be made to move significant distances by
the application of comparatively weak forces. This
distinguishes them from metals and ceramics, in which
the atoms are usually tightly bound to their lattice
sites. Typical examples of soft condensed systems are
polymers and liquid crystals. We work on the theory
behind the rich and varied behavior shown by these
fascinating materials.
Recently Phillip Taylor's research group has
developed a new way of looking at the problem of phase
transitions in polymers, and have produced some novel
predictions for the properties of polyethylene. Some of
our current work is related to the problem of
instabilities in crystalline polymers and in solidifying
mixtures. We are looking at the way a smooth mixture of
two substances separates into bubbles of one material
embedded in the other when the temperature is lowered or
when polymerization occurs. We are studying this process
by modeling the way in which monomer and liquid crystal
molecules exchange places as they migrate to form
clusters and networks. From these models we develop the
equations that govern the final morphology of the
system, and hence its optical properties.
Liquid crystals and polymers pose a particular
challenge to the theoretical physicist, as they are
inherently complicated systems. The most common approach
to modeling the dynamics of liquid crystals involves
deriving equations to describe the average of quantities
like the orientations of the molecules. These averages
are taken over volumes big enough to contain many
molecules, but small compared to the size of an actual
device. Even within this approximation, however, the
solution of the equations is a challenging task. One
approach taken in our group is to start with the
microscopic picture, in which individual molecules of a
liquid crystal or polymer are described in terms of
their orientations and positions, and their
corresponding velocities. We then take the equations
that describe their motion as they interact with each
other, and try to solve them -- sometimes analytically,
but usually by computer simulation. From the statistical
motions of the individual molecules one can build up a
picture of the macroscopic behavior of the system as it
would actually be observed. As always, the toughest task
for the theoretical physicist working to predict the
properties of matter is to define a model that is simple
enough to solve, but sufficiently complex to reflect the
real world.
Check out the cool
web
presentation promoting wind energy in Cleveland.
Thanks to Sarah Taylor and Yurich Creative.
Here's the pitch from Sarah:
"Over the past few months, the media have noted the
growing interest in wind power generation for
Cleveland, and for other parts of Ohio as well. The
most dramatic aspect of wind power's potential
importance for Cleveland has, however, not been
mentioned: A wind farm, off-shore from Cleveland,
would actually be THE WORLD'S FIRST FRESH-WATER WIND
FARM.
"There will eventually be wind turbines producing
power out on the Great Lakes, and the opportunity to
be the first to do that is staring us in the face.
Europeans have led the way in exploiting powerful
maritime off-shore winds, and we can take the lead in
the next phase of this cutting-edge technology -- by
putting up those first turbines in fresh water. We can
grab that role, and all the branding and business
opportunities that will accompany it, or we can just
watch it slip by, while we content ourselves with
erecting wind and solar devices on land - all worthy
and very useful, but not headline-creating around the
world.
"Let's not play catch-up to Michigan or Ontario by
building our turbines out on the lake only after their
communities have taken the initiative on their own
Great Lakes. Let us be out in front. We should be
expressing our great support for those in Cleveland
who are working to install a wind farm a few miles out
from shore, where the winds are strong and steady --
as opposed to the weak and unreliable breezes on
shore. Those turbines on the lake will symbolize our
city's commitment to addressing our, and the nation's,
future energy needs. They will also act as a constant
and gentle reminder that we must all do our part in
conserving our environment, and making the most of our
clean natural resources. Cleveland will be providing
bold and far-sighted leadership, as it has done in the
past."
Spring Semester
Schedule
Beginning on February 2, the Friday Lunch will
move back to Crawford Hall, in ROOM 9. Room 9 is within
the Inamori Center, on the basement level of Crawford.
It is very kind of Bill Deal, Director of the Inamori
Center, to make this room available on a regular basis.
Thank you, Bill!
Room 9 seats 35, with a central table and also chairs
along the wall. It should be a better setup than
Guilford. If we expect a large crowd, we may be able to
open a partition and join up with Room 11.
There will, however, be a class in the room until 12:20.
Therefore it will not be possible to get there much
before the lunch begins. On the other hand, people who
are a bit early should be able to hang out in the
Tomlinson food court. I believe the underground passage
from Tomlinson to Crawford will be restored when
construction is finished.
Coffee will be provided from the SAGES Café. Which
should mean very good coffee.
The tentative schedule of speakers, so far:
January 26: Phil (Perkins Professor of
Physics-Case Western Reserve University) and Sarah
Taylor, Wind Power and All of It's Aspects -
Environmental, Energy, Economic, Aesthetic, and
Maybe More.
February 2: Ken Grundy, Marcus Hanna Professor
Emeritus of Political Science, on subject to be
determined
February 9: Paul Schroeder, Visiting Lecturer in
Political Science and from Families of the Fallen for
Change, on what to do in Iraq
February 16: Mark Turner, Professor of Cognitive
Science, on cognition and politics
February 23: Mel Goldstein, Professor of
Anthropology, on why the Chinese are winning in Tibet
March 2: Susan Helper, Professor of Economics, on
strategies for American workers within the current
global competition.
March 9: Baiju Shah, President, Bioenterprise
Corporation, on the new economic prospects in Cleveland.
March 16: Break
March 23: Mike Aronoff of Cuyahoga County on the
evaluation of sexual predators for the courts – are they
really dangerous, and can we predict if they will
reoffend?
March 30: Barbara Morrison, Assistant Professor
of Nursing, on how current patterns of care for Moms and
newborns deny them the peace and quiet and bonding they
need.
April 6: Open
April 13: Marixa Lasso, Assistant Professor of
History: Drugs, War, and Coffee in Colombia
April 20: Mark Joseph, Assistant Professor,
Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences: Mixed-Income
Development as an Approach to Addressing Urban Poverty
April 27: Christine Cano, Associate Professor of
French, on the French elections (this date falls between
the first round and the runoff election)
Parking: For
those people who seek to make special arrangements about
parking, the contact person now will be Fay Alexander.
Her phone number is 368-4440, and her e-mail is
fabrienne.alexander@case.edu.
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