The Frontiers in Science lecture series is sponsored by the Fellows of the Laboratory and are designed to increase local public awareness of the diversity of science and engineering research being conducted at the Laboratory.
All Frontiers in Science talks are free and are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. The March 23 talk is in the James A. Little Theater at the New Mexico School for the Deaf in Santa Fe. Gupta will repeat his lecture on March 28 in the Duane Smith Auditorium at Los Alamos High School; March 30 at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque; April 10 at the Nick L. Salazar Center for the Arts at Northern New Mexico College in Española and; April 13 at the Rio Grande Hall in Taos.
The modern world today depends on energy from fossil fuels, such as oil, gas and coal. However, according to Gupta, production from conventional oil reserves is declining and competition is increasing leaving many wondering if we will have enough energy to meet demand this century.
Gupta, of Los Alamos' Elementary Particles and Field Theory Group, will discuss some important questions that we will face this century. Is the consumption of fossil fuels polluting the world and causing global warming? What are future options for clean and low-cost energy? How fast can clean sources of energy be developed? Will we need to change our lifestyles? What can individuals do to help our nation and our world?
"The energy infrastructure is so large and so well entrenched that without a large-scale national commitment like President Kennedy's pledge to put a man on the moon within the decade, or very high [energy] prices, the motivation to cut waste and invest in research and development to create the 21st century energy portfolio to provide cheap and clean energy is not there," said Gupta.
"These talks are a way for me to share what I have learned about our energy needs and resources and communicate what we can do collectively to build a secure future for us and our children," said Gupta. "The greatest impact of poor planning and high energy costs will be on the needy and the less fortunate, and that goes against everything that makes America great."
Gupta has his doctorate in physics from the California Institute of Technology and has worked at the Laboratory for 21 years, specializing in using supercomputers to model the interactions between subatomic particles. Using his experience in computer modeling, Gupta also has done modeling on the HIV pandemic in India and has expanded his research to include the upcoming energy crisis.
For more information on Los Alamos' Frontiers of Science Lecture series, go to http://www.lanl.gov/science/fellows/lectures.shtml online.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, and Washington Group International for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.