FOR MORE INFORMATION
CONTACT:  Susie P. Gonzalez
Susie.Gonzalez@Trinity.edu

Aug. 23, 2004

GLOBAL WARMING:  THE CHANGING NATURE
OF THE DEBATE

SAN ANTONIO - Most experts agree: the Earth's climate is changing. But how rapidly it will change and by how much is the subject of great debate. Eric Barron, dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and distinguished professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, will discuss, "Global Warming: The Changing Nature of the Debate," on Monday, Sept. 27 in Laurie Auditorium.  His free public lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m.  It is the first address in The Trinity University Distinguished Scientists Lecture Series. 

Predictions of future emissions of greenhouse gases and climate models have a high degree of error. Dr. Barron will explore how society should react when even the best scientific research suggests that the climate will change significantly, but it is uncertain how much and how fast. Dr. Barron will argue that assessing the vulnerability of ecosystems, agriculture, water, human health, and other systems to climate change should be the basis for decision-making.

Dr. Barron began his career as a post-doctoral fellow and scientist in the climate section at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo.  When he joined the Penn State faculty in 1986, his mission was to direct the college's newly formed Earth Systems Science Center, a leading center in the study of global change.  He served as director of the Earth  and Mineral Sciences Environment Institute from 1998-2003 and became dean of the college in 2002. 

Dr. Barron has testified before both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate on climate change science, and has co-authored more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals.  In 2003, he earned the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal.  He is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union, American Meteorological Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Institute for Environmental Science in the United Kingdom.

The Distinguished Scientists Lecture series is made possible by a generous endowment gift from Mr. and Mrs. Walter F. Brown of San Antonio.

For more information on Dr. Barron's lecture, call the office of public relations at (210) 999-8406.

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