Future Infrastructure Essentials - Lichtenstein Distinguished Lecture

Future Infrastructure Essentials - Change, Funding, Innovation and Opportunity

The United States and the world have huge infrastructure technological and financing needs to meet the essential living necessities of a rapidly growing national and global population that is now served in many cases by functionally and technologically obsolete aged facilities. Evolving social and political institutions imply both a serious lack of innovation in applying available transportation technology, gross lack of funding and very low political priority for socially and environmentally responsible action. In the USA, reauthorization of surface transportation at the Federal level in the next couple years must look very different than the program that is now nearing its end. Collectively, we must raise the political priority for funding of enhanced surface infrastructure, or our quality of life and economy cannot support the needs of our growing population in a globally competitive and environmentally sensitive society.

Speaker: A. Ray Chamberlain
President Emeritus, Colorado State University

Ray Chamberlain received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in civil engineering from Michigan State University, Washington State University, and Colorado State University. After devoting a Fulbright year in France, he returned to Colorado State University. Soon he was selected to be Vice President of the institution, and later became its president for eleven years. He then went into the private corporate world for seven years —enterprises ranging from water resources to super-conducting magnet development. Subsequently he returned to public life as CEO of the Colorado Dept. of Transportation, to which role he devoted six plus years. Most recently he was Vice President of the international consulting firm, Parsons Brinckerhoff. He holds two honorary degrees, and received the Order of the Aztec Eagle from the President of Mexico. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2006 "for innovations in the mobility, aesthetic, safety, and environmental aspects of transportation systems."

Host: Hojjat Adeli (phone: 614-292-7929)