Houston in the 21st Century Seminars

Houston in the 21st Century Seminar Program
by Richard Howe
The purpose of these seminars is to educate the public on technical issues that affect them and to provide a forum for technical exchange between scientists and engineers in the private sector, academicians, and technocrats.The Engineering, Science, and Technology Council of Houston (ECH) is sponsoring a series of seminars that will address the various technical issues that are affectting and will affect the Houston Metropolitan Area in the 21st Century. This program of seminars is entitled "Houston in the 21st Century." ECH hopes to hold one to two seminars each year. The first seminar of the series is scheduled September 11, 2004 and will address flooding. Other proposed topics include: coastal subsidence, transportation, water resources and distribution, air quality, expansive clays and their impact on construction, emerging health and medical challenges and their impact on the quality of life, and regional energy requirements and power distribution. 
[Note inserted by HGS Webmaster: The seminars are free and reservations are not required.  Seminars in this series will be posted on the HGS Website calendar.]The purpose of these seminars is to educate the public on technical issues that affect them and to provide a forum for technical exchange between scientists and engineers in the private sector, academicians and technocrats. Members of the public with interests specific to the seminar topic, elected officials, the news media, the science and engineering community and science educators are invited to attend. The format of the meeting is non-political and no particular views or ideologies will be advanced. ECH is an umbrella organization of twenty-two engineering, science and technological societies located in Houston. Many of these organizations are local chapters of national societies. ECH''s function is to advance engineering, science and technology through education and interdisciplinary communication. ECH was originally founded in 1948 as the Engineering Council of Houston, hence the "ECH" acronym. Initially an engineering society, ECH expanded its enrollment over the following decades to include scientific and technological societies. In 1995 ECH formally changed its name to the Engineering, Science, and Technology Council of Houston. ECH''s educational efforts include co-sponsoring the Science and Engineering Fair of Houston and summer internships at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. ECH annually presents excellence in education awards for area secondary school science and math programs. ECH is currently developing a mentor program that will foster interest among young people in science and engineering. ECH helped establish the memorial to the crew of Space Shuttle Challenger at Tranquility Park and is currently developing a similar memorial for the crew of Columbia. Claudia Ludwig and Richard Howe are HGS''s representatives to ECH. Claudia is a past-president of ECH and Richard is this year''s president of ECH.