Renowned undersea explorer and Titanic discoverer Robert Ballard
will deliver the keynote address for Illinois State University’s Science and
Technology Week on Tuesday, April 17. Other events during the week will
focus on emerging computer technology, the relationship between animals and
humans, and technology applications in the military.
Events during Science and Technology Week, April 16-19, are sponsored by Illinois State’s College of Applied Science and Technology (CAST). Science and Technology Week presentations on campus are free and open to the public.
Ballard will deliver the keynote address, “Exploring the Living Dream,” on Tuesday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Bone Student Center Braden Auditorium. A question and answer session with audience members will follow the presentation. Ballard will speak to faculty, students and community members in an informal setting that afternoon at 3 p.m. on the Main Floor of Milner Library. His appearance on campus, co-sponsored by Milner Library, Extended University and the Illinois State University Credit Union, is also part of the University’s 150th Celebration.
Ballard, best known for his 1985 discovery of the wreck of the Titanic, has had an extensive career of underwater explorations using manned and unmanned submersible vehicles. His work has helped scientists to better understand life in the deep oceans and the internal composition of the earth’s crust. Because of his work, historians and the general public now have a better understanding of famous shipwrecks such as the German battleship Bismarck, the liner Lusitania and two ancient Phoenician ships in the Mediterranean Sea, the oldest shipwrecks ever found in deep water.
On Monday, April 16, Joaquin A. Vila Ruiz, a professor in Illinois State’s School of Information Technology, will speak on “Location Based Services” at 7:30 p.m. in the Bone Student Center Circus Room. The presentation will examine how emerging technologies enable such services as the tracking of delivery vehicles and the location of people during emergencies.
On Wednesday, April 18, “Views on Animals, Nature, and Autism” will be the subject of a presentation by professor and author Temple Grandin. Grandin teaches courses on livestock behavior and facility design at Colorado State University and consults with the livestock industry on facility design, livestock handling and animal welfare. She is also the author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller “Animals in Translation.” In her books and public presentations Grandin stresses that humans have a shared history with animals and that understanding and fair treatment of animals is essential to the continuance of the human race.
Grandin is also arguably the most accomplished and well-known adult with autism in the world. She has been featured on numerous television news programs and written up in a number of publications including Time magazine, U.S. News and World Report, and the New York Times. Her appearance is co-sponsored by the Departments of Agriculture and Health Sciences and the Student Environmental Health Association.
Thursday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. displays highlighting the work of the various departments with the College of Applied Science and Technology will be open to the public at the CAST Expo in the Bone Student Center Brown Ballroom.
That evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Bone Student Center Old Main Room, “Science and Technology Solutions” will be the topic of a presentation by Col. Richard B. Jenkins, commander of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). Jenkins will highlight how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ laboratory develops innovative solutions for military, infrastructure, environmental, water resources and disaster operations. The ERDC is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ distributed research and development command and consists of seven unique technical laboratories located in four states, with more than 2,000 employees.
Prior to assuming command of the ERDC in 2006, Jenkins was stationed in Mosul, Iraq. In his position there he was responsible for management and quality control of billions of dollars in reconstruction and new construction throughout Iraq, from critical infrastructure for essential utility services such as electric power and clean water, to smaller yet vital projects to provide healthcare, transportation, and education facilities.
Jenkins’ appearance is sponsored by the Department of Military Science.
