On Wednesday, 24 November, Swansea University's Faculty of Science and Engineering will host its fifth Zienkiewicz Lecture, with special guest Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBE FREng FRS, Julia King.
The series was introduced in memory of Professor Olek Zienkiewicz, an international authority in the field of Computational Mechanics, specifically, the Finite Element Method.
The Zienkiewicz Lecture is a free annual event that provides students, both sixth form and university, and the public, with the opportunity to engage with a guest speaker from industry.
Professor Perumal Nithiarasu, Associate Dean Research, Innovation and Impact (RII), at Swansea University's Faculty of Science and Engineering and Chair of Zienkiewicz Lecture Committee, said: "Professor Olek Zienkiewicz's pioneering work was responsible for establishing Swansea University as a world leader in computational mechanics, a reputation that continues to this day.
“The Zienkiewicz Lecture is a fitting tribute, which welcomes respected researchers and influencers in multidisciplinary science and engineering to deliver a public lecture.
“This year's lecture, delivered by Baroness Brown, a well-respected engineer, scientist, and climate change influencer, is particularly relevant to every living being on the planet.”
Key speaker Baroness Brown is a British engineer, crossbench member of the House of Lords and the current Chair of the Carbon Trust.
Baroness Brown served as Vice-Chair of the Climate Change Committee (CCC) for over 12 years and continues to chair its Adaptation Committee.
Formerly a Non-Executive Director of the Green Investment Bank, she led the King Review on decarbonising transport (2008) and was the Prime Minister's Low Carbon Business Ambassador for ten years until 2019. Baroness Brown currently advises the Government on its hydrogen strategy as a member of its Hydrogen Advisory Council.
With a key interest in climate change adaptation and mitigation and the low carbon economy, Baroness Brown will deliver a virtual lecture entitled 'Delivering Net Zero: the challenges ahead'.
On 27 June 2019, the UK Government took the historic step of making a legal commitment to deliver a 100% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 – net zero.
This pledge is the fastest implementation of a Climate Change Committee recommendation since it was created under the Climate Change Act in 2008, but changing the legislation is the easy part. Introducing the policies, regulations, support mechanisms, and changes in behaviour to deliver this net-zero target will be more complex.
Baroness Brown, said: "Climate change is a challenge we all face, and I am honoured that Swansea University has asked me to deliver this year's Zienkiewicz Lecture on this vital topic.
"I look forward to covering the rationale for both the level of and timescale for the UK's net-zero target, the calculation of costs and the challenges we will all face due to its delivery over the next 30 years."
Professor Helen Griffiths, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University, said: "We are delighted to welcome our guest speaker, Baroness Brown, who is a passionate advocate for education, engineering, innovation, and tackling climate change.
"This free virtual event is a wonderful opportunity for students, academics and the general public to take part in this important conversation, no matter where they are in the world."