Sustainabilityor the ability to achieve economic prosperity while protecting the environment and providing a high quality of lifewill be on the menu when West Virginia Universitys Faculty Dinner Series continues Wednesday (Feb. 28).
Larry Banta, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, will talk to WVU sophomores and juniors aboutEngineering a Sustainable Futurefrom 6-8 p.m. at Hatfields in the Mountainlair.
While Al Gore focuses on the issue of global warming (in his award-winning documentary �€~An Inconvenient Truth), there are many other aspects of sustainability that humanity must address in the near futureeconomic, political and natural resource issues among them,he said.
Banta will briefly introduce a few of the issues pertaining to sustainability and give an overview of the work being done in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources that addresses some of those issues.
I hope that my talk leads to a discussion among the participants of their ideas and other work that may be ongoing at WVU of which Im not aware,he said,and to inspiration for new activities across the campus that will focus on the topic of planning for the legacy we bequeath to our great grandchildren.
Banta earned a bachelors degree in physics from Kalamazoo (Mich.) College in 1973. He worked for Allen Testproducts in Kalamazoo, where he designed prototypes of new products for testing automobile ignition systems and exhaust gases.
In 1977, he began work as a research scientist at the Georgia Tech Research Institute in Atlanta (GTRI). He worked in a variety of jobs for GTRI , including design and testing of radar systems, robotics and extensive field and theoretical work related to industrial energy conservation and alternative energy sources.
In addition, he has performed numerous energy audits for companies worldwide and taught training courses on industrial energy management in eight countries.
Banta completed his masters degree in 1981 and doctorate in 1987, both from the School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Since joining WVU in 1986, he has taught courses ranging from freshman to graduate level, developed three new courses and modernized several others.
Banta chairs the Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and has served as associate chair of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department since 2002.
He is a registered professional engineer in West Virginia as well as a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and American Society of Engineering Educators.
Banta has been the principal investigator on more than $2.5 million in contract research grants. His research is primarily in the areas of automatic control systems, mechatronics and industrial energy conservation.
Some of his current research involves the design of an advanced control system for a hybrid gas turbine/fuel cell electric generation system and development of a wireless data acquisition and analysis system for coal slurry impoundments.
His teaching style and methods have earned him high praise from students. His many awards include the Ralph Teetor Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers, the Teacher of the Year Award from the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, six Outstanding Teacher awards, the Golden Apple Award from Golden Keyplus he is a former WVU Foundation Outstanding Teacher.
Faculty Dinner Series
The faculty series is part of WVU s Sophomore/Junior Year Experience, a package of programs and services aimed at helping students succeed in college.
The final dinnerfeaturing Todd Petty, associate professor in the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences Division of Forestrywill be March 20.
Sophomore/Junior Year Experience on the Net:http://studentaffairs.wvu.edu/sjy_exp/index.html