Dr. Thom Mason will be lecturing on the energy problem as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series on Wednesday, Oct. 24.

Mason is the Director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. ORNL is "the U.S. Department of Energy's largest science and energy laboratory," the UT College of Engineering web site said. Mason will be discussing the energy crisis and what ORNL is doing to solve it, he said.   

I'm looking forward to engaging with the University community in this discussion. I think the problems we face are a compelling challenge, and the faculty and students at UT can help us solve them. Dr. Thom Mason

"I think this is an important issue due to the impacts of our energy choices on climate, economic competitiveness and national security," Mason said.

ORNL will be able to help because the "solutions that move us in the right direction on those tree fronts will require advances in the state of the art," he said.

The energy problem will not be solved all at once, Mason said. It will take a lot of improvements and work.

Mason is excited about speaking at UT.

"I'm looking forward to engaging with the University community in this discussion. I think the problems we face are a compelling challenge, and the faculty and students at UT can help us solve them," he said.

His lecture will be from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the University Center Shiloh Room on Wednesday, Oct. 24.