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Center for Policy Studies

Public Affairs Discussion Group

Shale Gas: Opportunities and Challenges



David Zeng, Ph.D. - Frank H. Neff Professor and Chair, Department of Civil Engineering at Case Western Reserve University
Friday March 22, 2013
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Dampeer Room
Kelvin Smith Library
Case Western Reserve University


Dear Colleagues:

The phenomenal growth of natural gas production from hydraulic fracturing of shale is creating new wealth and political conflict, while roiling energy markets. It also has, as an advisory board to the Secretary of Energy put it, “brought questions about whether both current and future production can be done in an environmentally sound fashion that meets the needs of public trust.”

Controversies are fed by both fear and distrust. The industry claims its practices are safe but avoids identifying the components of the fluids used in the process. The advisory board “shares the prevailing view that the risk of fracturing fluid leakage into drinking water from fractures made in deep shale reservoirs is remote” but adds that much needs to be learned about best practices; and there are many issues beyond leakage into drinking water. In our area one of the most widely-publicized involves the possibility that disposal of wastewater from fracking can cause earthquakes.

I doubt we can settle these issues but we can be much better informed! So we will gladly welcome Xiangwu (David) Zeng, Chair of our Department of Civil Engineering, a leading expert on earthquakes and Director of our Center for Shale Energy Research and Education.

All best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies


About Our Guest...

Xiangwu (David) Zeng is Frank H. Neff Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering at CWRU. Hi is recognized as an internationally renowned expert in geotechnical earthquake engineering, centrifuge modeling, lunar soil mechanics, and offshore wind foundation. He serves as Chair of the Commitee on Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and directs the Shale Energy Research and Education Center at CWRU.

Professor Zeng earned his Ph.D and M. Phil from the University of Cambridge, and his Bachelors from Tsinghua University in China. He has been Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, and been PI or Co-PI of 38 research projects, funded by NASA, NSF, OSM, MSHA, DOT and DOE.


Parking Possibilities

We regret that there is no convenient free parking, especially with the current construction on Bellflower. The closest lot is the Severance garage, which can be entered from East Boulevard. One can avoid going outside the garage by using an entry door to the library that is just northeast of the main parking lot entrance from East Boulevard. It leads to an elevator which goes to the library entrance. You can also go up the stairway or elevator labeled "Thwing Center," from which it is a short walk to the library. Another possibility is the parking lot of the Church of the Covenant on Euclid, which can be entered from the north side of Euclid Ave, opposite Cornell Road. Visitors would walk west on Euclid, past the Thwing Center, and then follow the walkway to the library entrance.

Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:

March 29: International Development Assistance in Public Health. Bill Goldman, retired foreign service officer with USAID

April 5: Military Ethics and Dehumanizing the Enemy. With Anthony Jack, Assistant Professor of Cognitive Science, Philosophy, and Psychology and Shannon French, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Inamori Professor of Ethics.
***Special Location: Inamori Center, Crawford Hall Room 9***


April 12: The New Cuyahoga County Government: Perspective from the Council. Julian Rogers, Councillor for District 10

April 19: Mass Murder for the Media: The Breivik Case in Norway. Mark Turner, Institute Professor and Professor of Cognitive Science
***Special Location: Inamori Center, Crawford Hall Room 9***

April 26: Advocacy for Children, Who Don't Vote. Doug Imig, Professor of Political Science, University of Memphis
March 18, 2013

If you would like to reply, submit items for inclusion, or not receive this weekly e-mail please send a notice to: padg@case.edu

Upcoming Events

Navigating Troubled Waters: The Battle for Labor Law and Workers Rights

Wilma Liebman J.D., Professorial Lecturer, George Washington University Law School Former Chairman, National Labor Relations Board, Tuesday March 19, 2013, 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Moot Courtroom (A59), Case Western Reserve University School of Law, 11075 East Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44106. Sponsored by the Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Conflict & Dispute Resolution.

President Obama designated Wilma B. Liebman Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in January 2009. After serving three terms, she became a Professorial Lecturer in Law at George Washington University Law School. Prior to joining the NLRB in 1997, Ms. Liebman was Deputy Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). She acted as chief operations officer of this federal agency, overseeing arbitration, alternative dispute resolution, international affairs and labor-management cooperation grants programs. In addition, Ms. Liebman advised the FMCS Director on issues involving major labor disputes and participated in significant negotiations. Prior to that, Ms. Liebman was Labor Counsel for the Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen, Legal Counsel to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and staff attorney with the NLRB. She received an A.B. from Barnard College and her J.D. from George Washington University. Ms. Liebman is a fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, the American Law Institute, and past elected member of the Executive Board of the Industrial Relations Research Association.


The Long Reach of Early Childhood Poverty

Ariel Kalil, Ph.D., Professor, Director, Center for Human Potential and Public Policy, Harris School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago, Thursday March 21, 2013, 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Community Studies Center (formerly Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations) Room 115, Sponsored by the Schubert Center for Childhood Development. Co-sponsored by Policy Matters Ohio, Invest in Children, CWRU Weatherhead School of Management, and the Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development at CWRU Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.

Kalil will describe income- and education-related skill gaps in child development and discuss the role of parenting and home environments in accounting for these gaps. Innovative two-generation strategies to improve parents' teaching and children's learning will also be presented for discussion. Community respondents, to be announced, will join the talk to discuss policy and practice implications.


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About the Friday Lunch Newsletter

If you would like to reply, submit items for inclusion, or not receive this weekly e-mail please send a notice to: padg@case.edu.

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