Café Scientifique: Fueling the Future

News flash: Cars won't be running on gasoline forever. As a non-renewable resource, our vehicles are, in fact, non-renewable. While it may seem fittingly ironic that amid the decline of U.S. culture, the automobile—a loud and not-so-subtle symbol of the American spirit—may one day use up all its fuel and roll to a stop, that's probably not going to happen. Unless the gaps between cities suddenly grow smaller (with urban sprawl, you never know), we will probably always have the car, or at least some similar transportation. But with recent reports suggesting that global warming is even worse than previously presumed, the issue seems more dire than ever. This Tuesday, panelists including businessmen and professors will be on hand to discuss possible fuel alternatives that may become viable in the future. Whether we shift to wind power, sun, electricity, or perhaps even microbes derived from our waste (there's something poetic about that), it has become increasingly apparent that the alterna-fueled car will have to become more than just a pipe dream.
Tue., April 8, 6 p.m., 2008