Climatologist to Speak on Links Between Climate Change and Hurricanes

470

Kerry Emanuel, Ph.D., a climatologist and hurricane expert, will give the Second Annual Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecture at Mercer University at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25, on Mercer’s Macon campus. Emanuel will give a lecture entitled “Divine Wind: The History and Science of Hurricanes.”

Hurricanes have inspired literature and art through the ages and changed the course of history. In his lecture, Emanuel, a professor of Atmospheric Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will discuss the science of hurricanes and their role in human history, ending with a discussion of the effect of climate change on hurricane activity.

The event will be held in the Auditorium of the new Science and Engineering Building. The lecture is free and open to the public and will be preceded by a reception at 6 p.m.

Emanuel he has been on the faculty of MIT since 1981, after spending three years as a faculty member at UCLA. Professor Emanuel’s research interests focus on tropical meteorology and climate, with a specialty in hurricane physics. His interests also include cumulus convection, and advanced methods of sampling the atmosphere in aid of numerical weather prediction. He is the author or co-author of over 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers, and two books, including “Divine Wind: The History and Science of Hurricanes,” recently released by Oxford University Press and aimed at a general audience. It received the 2007 Louis Battan Author’s Award from the American Meteorological Society.

About the Mercer Chapter of Sigma Xi:
Sigma Xi, the scientific research society is a global honor society that recognizes scientific achievement. The Mercer University Chapter was established in 2005 and is the first in Central Georgia. The Mercer Chapter serves as the Society chapter for the university and for all of Central Georgia. Sigma Xi is one of the oldest and largest non-profit scientific organizations in the world. It is the international honor society of scientists and engineers, with nearly 65,000 members in 100 countries, including more than 200 Nobel laureates.

About Mercer University:
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University has 7,300 students; 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies; major campuses in Macon and Atlanta; four regional academic centers across the state; a university press; two teaching hospitals — Memorial Health University Medical Center and the Medical Center of Central Georgia; educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta; an engineering research center in Warner Robins; a performing arts center in Macon; and a NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
— 30 —