Mark your calendars Thursday, November 15, 1 p.m. Pah Chen, “Hydrogen Economy—Real or Hype?” Tuesday, December 18, 6 to 9 p.m. Holiday dinner at Multnomah Athletic Club Thursday, January 17, 1 to 3 p.m. Judy VanDyck, “International Programs at PSU” Thursday, February 21, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Guided tour of “The Dancer” at Portland Art Museum Professor to talk about possibility of hydrogen economy Heading toward Hydrogen Economy—Real or Hype?” is the topic for the November RAPS meeting, presented by Pah Chen, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering. The program takes place Thursday, Nov. 15, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., in Room 236 Smith Memorial Union. The driving forces of the visionary hydrogen economy are the quest for clean fuels, peak oil theory, geo-political conflict, and the competition for oil from emerging countries. There are numerous signs indicating that fossil fuels will be replaced: revolutionary car designs for multiple fuels, mushrooming of ethanol plants, and potential initiation of hydrogen highways. Some organizations in industrial nations even go as far as advocating roadmaps to prepare for the advent of hydrogen economy. However, there are also major obstacles, such as the high cost of fuel cell power plants, problems of mass production, and distribution of hydrogen to supply the need of hungry fuel tanks. Can hydrogen be produced economically to provide the demand of the ever-increasing energy consumption? This program is an opportunity for all of us to become better informed about these critical issues involving hydrogen economy. Pah Chen taught in the Department of Mechanical Engineering from 1966 to 2003. From 1977 to 1979 he was a visiting professor at the University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia. In 1984 he worked for PGE Trojan Nuclear Power Plant as an engineering specialist. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. If you missed the October program by Kilong Ung, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia, Kilong suggests that you check his Web site www. kilongung.com. The pictures and graphic descriptions there make his story of survival and escape to a new life in Portland even more vivid.
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