As perhaps the strongest El Niño on record forms in the eastern Pacific Ocean, public officials in California are preparing for a winter in which disastrous floods might interrupt the state’s drought emergency. For the CSULB Fall 2015 Engineering Distinguished Lecture, a panel of experts will be discussing the engineering challenges associated with the potentially record weather event.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) has recently stated there is a greater than 90 percent chance that El Niño will continue through Northern Hemisphere winter 2015-16, and around an 85 percent chance it will last into early spring 2016.
During the lecture on Thursday, Oct. 22, members of the panel will discuss current weather predictions, how this water could help relieve the current drought, what has been done to better control flooding in the Los Angeles basin since the last wet El Niño years of 1982-83 and 1997-98, and effective long-term solutions.
Sponsors of the lecture include: Applied Medical, P2S, the Port of Long Beach, and Northrop Grumman. Special thanks to Committee Members Matt Petrime ’93 (Chair), Chris Hernandez ’81, Michael Niggli ’71, and Kent Peterson, P.E. ’86.
The lecture will be held from 5:15-7 p.m. in The Pointe Event and Convention Center, Walter Pyramid. There is no cost to attend, however reservations are required. RSVP online or email coe-dev@csulb.edu by October 16.
Established in 2009 by the Dean’s Advisory Council, the Engineering Distinguished Lecture Series has become the signature event for the college. Presented in the fall and spring each year, the lecture series draws a wide audience of students, alumni, faculty, and members of local and regional civic and private organizations, as well as friends and supporters of the University.
Each event in the lecture series concentrates on a national or global imperative and brings experts to address the topic. The format is flexible, with some events as an individual lecture and some as roundtable discussions, followed by a “Question and Answer” session. The series are videotaped for later broadcast on the local TV stations and webcast on the BeachTV.