Title:

NSF Opportunities for Thermal Transport Researchers

Speaker:

Dr. Theodore (Ted) Bergman

Affiliation:

National Science Foundation

When:

Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 11:00:00 AM   Add to Calendar

Where:

MRDC Building, Room 4211

Host:

Alexander Alexeev
alexander.alexeev@me.gatech.edu
404-385-3659

Abstract

Heat and mass transfer phenomena have received increased interest in recent years. The implications of understanding and controlling these transport processes in areas of national priority such as but not limited to: energy and climate, health care, information technology, infrastructure and manufacturing, as well as security, are profound. In general, the objective of the Thermal Transport Processes Program is to support fundamental research that has the potential for broad scientific, technical and societal impact. Inherent in meeting this objective is the need to be mindful of the economic viability of technologies that might evolve from the basic research, and to embrace the role of education and outreach in both (i) producing a diverse, thermal engineering workforce and (ii) increasing public awareness of how engineering can successfully address problems of contemporary importance. In this presentation, an overview of current developments within the National Science Foundation that are especially pertinent to the transport and thermal fluids research and education community is provided.

Biography

Ted Bergman received his B.S. from the University of Kansas in 1978, and his M.S. as well as Ph.D. degrees from Purdue in 1981 and 1985, respectively. He worked in industry from 1978 to 1980, being responsible for the design of major components of gigawatt-scale power generation stations. From 1985 to 1996 he was a faculty member in the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Austin. From 1996 to present he has been at the University of Connecticut where he has served as Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department, Associate Dean of Engineering, and Interim Head of the Materials Science and Engineering Department. Dr. Bergman has conducted research in double-diffusive and surface tension driven convection, thermal manufacturing and processing, solar energy collection and fuel cells, and thermal energy storage. He has received various awards including the Presidential Young Investigator Award from NSF and the ASME Melville Medal. Dr. Bergman has served on the editorial boards of the ASME Journal of Heat Transfer as well as Heat Transfer Research Contents, has organized and co-organized major national and international heat transfer conferences and workshops, and is co-author of two leading undergraduate texts in heat and mass transfer.