Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771

ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM

Monday, January 24, 2005 / 3:30 PM, Building 3 Auditorium

Dr. John W. Willis

"Bringing a Star to Earth  (Fusion - the Next Steps)"

ABSTRACT -- Fusion Energy is the prime source of energy for most of the visible universe. For decades mankind has worked towards harnessing the fusion of hydrogen isotopes to provide what is potentially a safe, abundant and environmentally benign source of energy - one that could both resolve greenhouse gas issues and the conflicts stemming from limited fossil resources . Although scientists and engineers have found this quest to be extremely challenging, new understanding over the past ten years provides solid evidence that we are ready to move experiments to the next stage - a full scale burning plasma experiment. In 2004, the President announced that the U.S. would rejoin an international effort to build ITER, a large scale project that would permit the sustained burn of fusion fuel for the first time. This talk will discuss the background behind this step and the current status of the ITER negotiations. It will also address the planned operation of ITER and the likely steps needed to move beyond ITER to a commercially viable fusion power source.

SPEAKER -- Dr. John W. Willis is the Research Division Director for the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Dr. Willis received his B.A. and Ph.D in Physics from the University of California at Riverside in 1966 and 1971 respectively. After completing his doctorate in experimental plasma physics, Dr. Willis worked at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, on a series of wave propagation studies in the Ionosphere. From 1975 on, Dr. Willis has held a series of positions in the DOE's Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, with increasing levels of responsibility. In his current position he is responsible for the bulk of the U.S. research on fusion energy sciences.