Solar Fusion Event to Feature Panel Discussion on Solar Research
One of the events's signature activities will be an interactive panel discussion with several UA leaders in solar research, headed by UA President Robert N. Shelton.

By Johnny Cruz, University Communications
Aug. 19, 2009


With a mix of presentations, performances and discussions by professors in music, poetry, science, engineering, business  and architecture, the Solar Fusion event happening later this month will be a daylong celebration of The University of Arizona's multidisciplinary achievements in solar energy.

"Solar Fusion 2009 is an event that should not be missed," said Joseph Simmons, co-director of the UA's Arizona Research Institute for Solar Energy. "The UA is leading the way with innovations in solar energy, and Solar Fusion offers the opportunity for everyone at the University and in the community to share in what's happening."

One of the Solar Fusion's signature activities will be an interactive panel discussion with several UA leaders in solar research, headed by UA President Robert N. Shelton.

The discussion – "Sustainable Development in Arizona" – will be moderated by Christopher Conover, a television and radio reporter for Arizona Public Media.

It begins at 12:50 p.m. on Aug. 28 and will take place in Crowder Hall, located in the School of Music.

Additional panelists include:

Comments by the panelists likely will emphasize research efforts taking place at the UA and with its industry partners, the UA's leadership role in environmental sustainability, and the role of students in environmental research.

The discussion, Simmons said, will be in a setting "where everyone will have the opportunity to learn more, and get their questions answered about the University's many achievements in solar energy, and its future directions in education and the implementation of sustainable living."

Those attending the talk will be able to ask questions of the panelists and questions will be being accepted online during the event on the Arizona Research Institute for Solar Energy, or AzRISE, Web site.

For those unable to attend, AzRISE and Arizona Public Media will stream the discussion live on their Web sites.

Solar Fusion, being presented by AzRISE, takes place 400 years, to the week, after Galileo Galilei unveiled the telescope – an invention that fused science, engineering, technology and art into a single instrument that breathed knowledge into the human relationship with the sun.

For a complete list of events, visit the Solar Fusion Web site.

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