POTSDAM -- The New Horizons in Engineering Distinguished Lectureship Series at Clarkson University will host Carnegie Mellon University President Emeritus and University Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy Jared L. Cohon to speak about "Globalization of Engineering Education."

His presentation will take place Friday, April 15, at 2 p.m. in Clarkson's Bertrand H. Snell Hall Room 213. A reception will precede the lecture at 1:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

In the abstract of his presentation, Cohon says, “Every aspect of engineering education in American universities has become international in character over the last two decades. The number of international students has increased dramatically. Our curricula now incorporate explicit international content and experiences. And, some American universities have created partnerships, programs and even campuses in other countries. During this same period, the practice of engineering has become thoroughly globalized. I was president of Carnegie Mellon during much of the last two decades. I will appeal to that experience to offer reflections on the challenges and opportunities that globalization presents to American universities.”

Cohon will also deliver another lecture later that day for the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering faculty, students and invited guests on "Collaboration and Research in Shale Gas Development."

In his abstract for that lecture, Cohon says, “Hydraulic fracturing has made accessible huge amounts of natural gas held in deep shale formations. Recently, the Marcellus Shale and even more recently the Utica Shale have been developed rapidly in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. These formations also extend into New York, but the State has maintained a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing. In this talk, I will review the state of shale gas development in the Marcellus formation and the risks associated with it. I will also use my experience with two initiatives to talk about research needs and opportunities for collaboration between industry and the environmental community.”

Cohon is a national authority on environmental and water resource systems analysis and is the author, co-author or editor of more than 80 professional publications. He holds a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master's degree and Ph.D. in civil engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He will be the 13th Distinguished Lecturer in Clarkson University's New Horizons in Engineering series, which is dedicated to improving the understanding of important issues facing engineering and society in the 21st century.

For more information contact Liya Regel, New Horizons in Engineering founder and chair, at lregel@clarkson.edu.