Mike Sloan, a renewable energy consultant and 1984 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, will deliver a lecture titledEmerging Renewable Energy Markets: What is Notre Dames Role?at4 p.m.Thursday (Nov. 2) in the auditorium of theHesburghCenterfor International 91��Ƶ on campus.

Sponsored by the Universitys Center for Social Concerns andReillyCenterfor Science, Technology and Values, the talk is free and open to the public.

Wind, solar power and biofuels are rapidly expanding as viable energy options for theUnited States, offering benefits for environmental quality, economic development and homeland security.Sloans presentation will provide an overview of the current global market for renewable technologies and explore opportunities for Notre Dame to use renewable resources on campus, improve emerging technologies and educate tomorrows professionals in the industry.

A registered Texas lobbyist and president of Virtus Energy Research Associates Inc., Sloan is regarded as a leading expert on renewable energy development, program design and regulations.He has given numerous international presentations and served as project manager for a national award-winning renewable energy education fact sheet series and author or project director for more than a dozen technical papers and three books.

Sloan, who was appointed to the Texas Energy Coordination Council (2000-2002) by then-Governor George W. Bush, earned his bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from Notre Dame and his masters degree from theUniversityofTexas.

* Contact: * _Paul Horn, Center for Social Concerns, phorn@nd.edu
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Students from the University of Notre Dame will venture to rural and urban areas across the United States during the University’s fall break (Oct. 14 to 20) to take part in a wide array of experiential and service-learning programs, including a new initiative in New Orleans.

A record 472 undergraduates will participate in seminars conducted by Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concerns (CSC). While community service is an integral part of the program, the students also earn academic credit for the research, writing and classroom work that complement the experience.This year, because of continued overwhelming student interest in helping to rebuild New Orleans, the CSC introduced a service-only opportunity.More than 120 students will join this initiative, and will be remodeling homes in New Orleans without receiving academic credit.

In addition, students will travel to Appalachia to build homes, Cincinnati to study ways to reduce violence in schools, Chicago to examine issues of cultural diversity, and Washington, D.C., to learn about national security.Additional information on the fall break seminars is available at .

Established in 1983, Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concerns attempts to nurture a concern for justice and peace among students by offering a variety of formative educational and other service opportunities. Some 80 percent of Notre Dame undergraduate students participate in community service projects or academic “serving/learning” courses and seminars coordinated by the center.It has sent more than 10,000 students to sites worldwide.

Contact: Paul Horn, Center for Social Concerns, phorn@nd.edu

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