Description
Come and enjoy pizza and beer and stay abreast of current science and technology.
You can subscribe to the Open Mic Science newsletter to see future events by going to https://openmicscience.weebly.com/
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When: Tuesday December 12th, 2023 7pm-8pm
Where: Treehouse Cafe in the back seating area. Come early for pizza!
Speaker: Charlie Kratzer
Summary & Bio
Groundwater under Bainbridge Island: The Big Picture
Groundwater is the only significant source of freshwater on Bainbridge Island. Considering projected changes to rainfall, runoff, and temperatures resulting from climate change, and being surrounded by seawater with a growing population, it is critical that we manage our groundwater resource wisely going forward.
What does "sustainable" groundwater management look like? What are some of the environmental tradeoffs involved?
Join us to learn about groundwater on Bainbridge Island using a water budget approach. Learn about how "sustainability" can be a tricky term with value judgment involved.
Charlie Kratzer was the Chair of the Environmental Technical Advisory Committee (ETAC) for five years, during the time that ETAC was leading the effort for COBI to develop a Groundwater Management Plan (GWMP). Charlie has multiple degrees in environmental engineering/hydrology and worked as a hydrologist for USGS for 18 years as well as for the State of California for 12 years.
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November 14:
Title: Grid, or No Grid--That is the Question!
The electricity grid plays a unique role as it can be both vulnerable to extreme weather events as well be part of a solution for increased reliability and resilience of power delivery. But is the grid up for the game? Or could we maybe even do without it following an extreme weather - or seismic - event?
Join us to learn about why the answers to these questions are not only technical in nature but may also rely on our own values and preferences.
Note that the presenter is an employee of Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) that collaborates, among many other utilities, with our local electricity provider Puget Sound Energy (PSE). The presenter is currently not involved in any project with PSE and will be representing his own opinion in this presentation.
Jens Boemer is a Technical Executive at Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), an independent non-profit energy research, development, and deployment organization. Jens leads EPRI's strategic research on integrated transmission & distribution planning and operations, including projects on the grid integration of large-scale renewable and distributed energy resources. He joined EPRI in 2014 with ten years of experience in technical and regulatory requirements that helped to facilitate the German "Energiewende" (energy transition).