Newswise — Experts from the University of New Hampshire are available to comment about the priorities and issues to be discussed at the G8 Summit July 15-17, 2006, in St. Petersburg, Russia, as well as the outcomes since the summit in 2005 at Gleneagles.
2006 PROPOSED G8 INITIATIVESGLOBAL ENERGYGlobal Energy SecurityStacy VanDeveer, associate professor of political scienceVanDeveer studies environmental politics and can provide in-depth information about global energy security as well as discuss the implications of U.S. policies and efforts regarding energy security.
Renewable Energy SourcesIhab H. Farag, professor of chemical engineering, Hamel Professor of Technology and Innovation, and founder of the UNH Biodiesel Group and the NH Pollution Prevention PartnershipFarag is an expert in renewable energy sources, pollution prevention and alternative fuels, including biodiesel. Biodiesel is an alternative fuel made from vegetable oil that can be used in existing diesel engines with no modifications. It is cleaner and safer than petroleum fuels, and can be produced domestically in large enough volumes to satisfy transportation fuel needs of the entire country.
P.T. Vasudevan, professor of chemical engineeringVasudevan works in the area of bioenergy and can discuss fuel alternatives to oil. He worked for a large petrochemical company for seven years prior to entering teaching. For the past 23 years, he has worked in the area of catalysis and biocatalysis.
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENTGeorge Hurtt, assistant professor of community and ecosystem ecology, and the UNH Complex Systems Research CenterHurtt researches ecological systems and develops models to help predict changes in them. His current research is helping address issues such as the sustainability of land-use practices, the potential for terrestrial ecosystems as a carbon sink, and how terrestrial ecosystems respond to climate and climate change. Hurtt is involved in several international research projects and has testified before the U.S. Congress on the science of global change.
INFECTIOUS DISEASESDefense Against Infectious DiseasesAaron Margolin, professor of microbiologyMargolin is an expert in waterborne disease (viral, bacterial, or intestinal parasites) from the ingestion of fecally polluted water. He develops tools for the detection of waterborne pathogens and evaluates the efficiency of water utilities in preventing the spread of disease.
TERRORISM AND REGIONAL CONFLICTSPolitics of the Middle East, U.S. Foreign Policy and TerrorismJeannie Sowers, visiting professor in political science and fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at HarvardSowers is an expert on the Middle East, U.S. foreign policy and terrorism. Her research includes evaluating the critical issues and opportunities for change in the Muslim world, U.S. relations with the Middle East, Israeli-Palestinian relations and environmental reform in the Arab world. She is fluent in Arabic.
REFLECTIONS OF 2005 AGREEMENTS AT GLENEAGLESCLIMATE CHANGEPolitics of Climate Change: What Was Said and What Has Been DoneStacy VanDeveer, associate professor of political scienceVanDeveer studies environmental politics and can provide in-depth information about the commitments made at the 2005 G8 Summit at Gleaneagles regarding worldwide climate change and whether those priorities have been implemented.
Global Climate and Environmental ChangeCameron Wake, research associate professor of Earth Sciences and the UNH Climate Change Research CenterWake researches global climate and environmental change. He reconstructs past climate change through the collection and analysis of ice cores from around the world. Over the past 20 years he has been involved in research expeditions to Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, China, Pakistan, the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, and Antarctica. Currently he is leading research programs to develop ice core records from glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau and in the Canadian Arctic. Wake is also involved in the NOAA-funded AIRMAP (Atmospheric Investigation, Regional Modeling, Analysis and Prediction) project, which seeks to improve understanding of New England's changing climate and air quality.
RSS