CIT Bishopstown Campus will host the 2009 Siemens Lecture Series during the month of May, a probing series of topics relating to climate change. The lectures are free and open to the public. The lectures take place each Wednesday in May 6, 13, 20 and 27 between 1pm - 2pm in the IT Building, CIT Bishopstown Campus and and University College Cork between 8pm-9pm.

Download information on the lecturers:

As part of its Engineering Education Programme ‘Generation 21’, Siemens, one of the world’s leading engineering companies, has joined forces with the Ecology Foundation, Cork Institute of Technology and University College Cork to host a series of Climate Change Lectures in Cork to raise awareness and provide real information on climate change, its implications for the future of society and the opportunities it brings.

According to Dr. Werner Kruckow, CEO of Siemens Limited “The challenge of climate change presents Ireland with an opportunity to become a leading green economy. By investing in renewables and other innovative green technologies, Ireland can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, improve the country’s competitiveness by creating an efficient sustainable infrastructure and in the process create green collar jobs.”

A key component in developing the industry will be the supply of qualified and skilled science and technology graduates. “With climate change becoming the world's number one issue both for business and government, tomorrow's graduates will need to be aware of the opportunities and risks inherent in this new paradigm. Ultimately we want people to begin really thinking about the climate change issues and realise what they, as individuals, can do to help address it and also bring to their attention the breadth of industry opportunities that exist in this new area,” added Dr. Kruckow.

The Siemens Climate Change Lecture Tour is designed to educate and encourage students and the public alike on how they can play a role in meeting the challenge of tackling climate change. The lectures not only focus on the challenge of climate change, but also on the positive role science, engineering, innovation and business can make by addressing it. According Dr. Werner Kruckow, CEO of Siemens Limited, “Ireland could become a world leader in the green technologies sector and an international supplier of renewable energy, if we invest now in science and technology innovation and maximise our energy resources, such as wind and wave.”

The Siemens Climate Change Lecture Tour consists of four separate lectures delivered by The Ecology Foundation's climate change specialists.

Tom Bean will give the first lecture on Climate Change, on 6 May in IT3. This will be an introduction to climate change and a discussion on the efforts required to meet the climate change challenge.

The second lecture, “The Business of Climate Change”, will be delivered by David Korowicz and takes place on 13 May in IT3. This will be an explanation of how climate change will transform global commerce and affect business strategy, illustrating how business can play a leading role to help society adapt to the inevitable challenges.

The third, “The Engineering Challenge of Climate Change”, will be given by Owenroe Lemass on 20 May in IT1. This will be a presentation of the major engineering challenges of climate change, looking at the solutions that are available, those that are in the research and development phase and the critical bottlenecks in deploying appropriate technology.

The final lecture on 27 May, in IT1, is on “Climate Change and the Psychology of Risk and Response” by Mark Rutledge, and is a lecture on what can be learned about attitudes to climate change, looking at the inertia on facing the challenge and drawing insights from psychology, evolutionary psychology and game theory.