Edward Wenk, Jr. Endowed Lectureship

The Edward Wenk, Jr. Endowed Lectureship in Technology and Public Policy was made possible by a generous donation from Dr. Edward Wenk, Jr., Emeritus Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and science policy adviser to the U.S. Congress and three presidents. Dr. Wenk built his career through bridging the gap between public policy and engineering. Through his generous gift, he continues to share his professional legacy with students and the academic community.

Previous Lectures

2017

Alexandre Bayen
Road Work: Using Mobile Data to Alleviate Traffic Congestion
Thursday, November 16, 2017

Slower speeds and longer trip times are becoming the new normal. The fast-growing Seattle area, in fact, ranks 10th in the nation and 20th worldwide for traffic congestion*. To address this challenge, expert Alexandre Bayen proposes utilizing crowdsourced mobile data from drivers and passengers. This data, combined with optimization techniques and game theory, has the potential to enhance algorithms that control traffic estimations as well as infrastructure such as traffic light timing and variable speed limits.    * INRIX global data
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2016

Carlos Fábrega
The Panama Canal: Expanding One of the World's Engineering Wonders
Thursday, October 27, 2016

An in-depth look at the most notable component of the Panama Canal Expansion Program, the Third Set of Locks project, presented by Carlos Fábrega. Fábrega was a key player in the Third Set of Locks project, serving as a member of the Board of Representatives and Executive Committee of the Grupo Unidos por el Canal JV (GUPC), the contractor selected to build the new Locks.
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2015

David Sedlak
Malozemoff Professor, Co-Director of the Berkeley Water Center and Deputy Director of the NSF engineering research center for Reinventing the Nation’s Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), University of California, Berkeley
A Path to the Fourth Urban Water Revolution
Thursday, November 12, 2015, 4:30 pm in Alder Hall Auditorium.
Sedlak Biography | Lecture Synopsis | Watch video

2014

Thomas DeLuca
Forest and Environmental Sciences and Sustainability: A Quest for the 21st Century
November 6, 2014
DeLuca Biography | Lecture Synopsis | Watch Video

2013

Kevin Hagen
Sustainable Business Advocate
Good news, we have to redesign everything
November 7, 2013
Hagen Biography |View Presentation | Watch Video

2012

Paula J. Hammond
Secretary of Transportation, Washington State Department of Transportation
Engineers in Public Service
October 25, 2012

2011

V. Setty Pendakur
UW Alum (MS ‘62, PhD ‘64) and Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia
A Billion Urban Chinese by 2025
October 20, 2011
Pendakur Biography | Lecture Synopsis

2010

Dale Jensen
Program Manager, WA Dept of Ecology Spill Prevention, Preparedness & Response Program
Striking a balance from competing values in setting public policies: A Case Study on Washington State Oil Spill Issues
October 28, 2010
View Presentation | Transcript

2009

Dennis McLerran
Executive Director, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency
Innovation and Collaboration Leading to Cleaner Air in the Puget Sound Region
December 3, 2009

2008

Daniel J. Evans
Former Washington Governor
Was This a Transformational Election? Challenges Facing a New Administration
November 6, 2008