Chattanooga Engineers Club

P.O. Box 4031

Chattanooga, TN 37405

www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org

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Next Meeting July 16  - “What Energy Policy and Technology Innovations are Needed to Ensure a Sustainable Future?” - Dr. Marilyn Brown, Professor of Public Policy at Georgia Tech to speak to CEC on Energy Policy.

 

Marilyn A. Brown joined Georgia Tech in 2006 after a distinguished career at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. At ORNL, she led several major energy technology and policy scenario studies. She is a national leader in the analysis and interpretation of energy futures in the United States; her research interests encompass the development and deployment of sustainable energy technologies, issues surrounding the commercialization of new technologies, and the evaluation of energy programs and policies. Recent projects include an assessment of the $3 billion/year multi-agency R&D portfolio comprising the U.S. Climate Change Technology Program and development of a national climate change technology policy strategy as required by the 2005 Energy Policy Act. She received her BA in Political Science from Rutgers University (1971), her MRP in Resource Planning from the University of Massachusetts (1973), and her PhD in Geography from The Ohio State University (1977). She also received her CEM (Certified Energy Manager) from the Association of Energy Engineers.

 

Lunch will be available for $11 beginning at 11:30 am, and will be from the outstanding Cellar Buffet. Location: Tallan Cellar Restaurant, 200 West ML King Blvd, Chattanooga, TN 37402.

 

Professional Development units (PDUs) are available for most technical programs at CEC meetings

 

FUTURE MEETINGS

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July 23 - Gene Gibson, TVA's Manager of Water Supply, will provide an overview of the current drought gripping the southeast and portions of the Tennessee Valley region.  He will explain the drought's ongoing impacts to TVA's integrated river system operations and the 4 million people that depend on the Tennessee River System as their source of water supply.  He will outline actions being taken by TVA to conserve water while at the same time minimizing impacts to water supply, water quality, navigation, and recreation.

 

 

PREVIOUS WEEK PROGRAM

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July 9 - Jason Makansi - "Will our grandchildren freeze in the dark?"

 

Jason provided an enlightening new look at the electricity grid in his new book "Lights Out - The Electricity Crisis, the Global Economy, and What it Means to You." After suffering with neighbors through St. Louis' two big electricity outages last year, Makansi decided to write "Lights Out," aiming for a general readership rather than industry insiders. In the book he explores several issues:

 

— A deteriorating electricity transmission grid that needs centralized leadership to improve.

— The long supply lines, with more natural gas and nuclear fuel imported, and more coal traveling farther within the United States.

— The failure to find ways to store electricity for emergency situations.

— The shortage of trained workers to keep the system operating smoothly.

— The vulnerability of the system to attacks by enemies.

— The environmental degradation caused, in some degree, by every form of fuel.

 

He advocates developing nuclear power plants and new technologies that capture energy currently squandered through inefficient manufacturing and wasteful home usage. But he does not want to push for reform alone or as part of a tiny elite group of industry insiders. As a result, he sets out the possible dire consequences of doing nothing, hoping to move electricity consumers to action with federal and state legislators, federal and state regulatory agencies and the electric utility executives.

 

 

ITEMS OF INTEREST

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Fire Eye Productions, Inc. has made available many video recordings of events in our community by creating the Local Webcast Network. Several Chattanooga Engineers Club programs are included; you may be on there too! Go to www.localwebcastnetwork.com.

 

Speaking Opportunities! Volunteers needed to address speaker requests from elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and youth groups to visit classrooms, assemblies, and group meetings. High school student groups may schedule tours of CSTCC to visit mechanical, electrical, civil, chemical technology classes and other locations of the campus. Contact Jackie Rutledge at (423)697-2698 or lulu.copeland@chattanoogastate.edu.

 

QUESTIONS, SUGGESTIONS? If you have any questions or suggestions about program items please contact Ron Bailey at 423-425-5536 or by email at Ronald-Bailey@utc.edu. You can find membership application forms, references to future programs, historical data, and other info at http://www.ChattanoogaEngineersClub.org. To receive future meeting announcements by email, join the Cha. Technology Organization mailing list at http://mail.chattanoogaengineersclub.org/mailman/listinfo/chatech_chattanoogaengineersclub.org