ANN ARBOR—Her talk, “Environmental Challenges for the 21st Century: A Matter of Degrees,” will be given at 4:30 p.m. in Room 1800, Chemistry Building on the U-M Central Campus. The talk is free and open to the public.

Following her presentation, a panel of three deans—Rebecca M. Blank, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy; Stephen W. Director, College of Engineering; and Douglas S. Kelbaugh, A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, will respond to the challenges Bierbaum poses.

Bierbaum was most recently acting director of the White House Office of Science, Technology and Policy in Washington, D.C. Global climate change, air and water quality, endangered species and biodiversity, ecosystem management, endocrine disruptors, natural hazards, and energy research and development are among the major national and international environmental issues she dealt with during her tenure as senior scientific adviser to two presidents.

Bierbaum’s talk will inaugurate the annual Peter M. Wege Lecture, which is hosted by the Center for Sustainable Systems (CSS) and brings a nationally recognized expert in the area of sustainability to speak at the U-M each year. CSS is celebrating its 10th anniversary this fall. The lecture honors Peter M. Wege of Grand Rapids for his accomplishments in the environmental field. Wege, retired chairman of the board of Steelcase, Inc., was the first chair of the Center’s external advisory board.

A reception to welcome the new dean follows the lecture in the Chemistry Building atrium from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. For more information, call Helaine Hunscher at (734) 764-1412 or see http://css.snre.umich.edu.

Related Link:

• Office of Science, Technology and Policy