The President’s Distinguished Lecture Series invites notable leaders of world-renowned research organizations, universities and other industries to share their expertise with the University of Missouri community. The topics and guests will span various disciplines with each lecturer leading a discussion about the grand challenges facing society — and how Mizzou is poised to address them through our mission of teaching, research and outreach.
2024 President’s Distinguished Lecture
Join Dr. Mun Y. Choi, University of Missouri President, at the 2024 President’s Distinguished Lecture featuring Dr. Harriet Kung, Acting Director of the Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy. Her lecture, titled “Science for Energy”, will discuss the 21st century’s staggering challenges for more advanced energy technologies that are abundant, clean, and sustainable. Transforming the ways we generate, supply, transmit, store, and use energy are the paramount opportunities for the world in the coming decades. This talk will provide an overview of DOE’s Office of Science, which has a mission of delivering scientific discoveries and major scientific tools to transform our understanding of nature and advance the energy, economic, and national security of the United States. This talk will also cover a key aspect of the U.S. Department of Energy portfolio in critical and emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum, and microelectronics.
President Mun Y. Choi
invites you to the
President’s Distinguished Lecture
featuring
DR. HARRIET KUNG
Acting Director of the Office of Science,
U.S. Department of Energy
“Science for Energy”
Thursday, November 14, 2024 | 10 a.m.
Monsanto Auditorium,
Bond Life Sciences Center
1201 Rollins Street, University of Missouri
RSVP by November 7.
For questions, contact University Events:
events@missouri.edu | 573-882-3807.
Dr. Harriet Kung
Dr. Harriet Kung is the Acting Director of the Office of Science in the U.S. Department of Energy. She also serves as the Deputy Director for Science Programs and is the senior career official providing scientific and management direction and oversight for the SC research programs, including Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Basic Energy Sciences, Biological and Environmental Research, Fusion Energy Sciences, High Energy Physics, and Nuclear Physics, as well as other supporting functions and offices. Dr. Kung served in various leadership roles in Basic Energy Sciences, the largest program in the Office of Science, from 2002 – 2020. Before joining DOE in 2002, Dr. Kung was a technical staff member and a project leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Her research focused primarily on nanoscale materials and high temperature superconductivity.
With over 20 years of service in the Department of Energy, Dr. Kung led and cultivated one of the Nation’s premier physical sciences programs. During her tenure, she developed a new basic research paradigm in team-science approach to advance DOE’s science and energy missions by spearheading a decade-long strategic planning initiative to assure timely, science-based solutions. She also positioned the Office of Science as a National Quantum Initiative leader by establishing strategies to capitalize on strong synergy between disciplines such as physics, biology, materials, and engineering, as well as the world-leading scientific user facilities. She has chaired and co-chaired high-level interagency working groups to develop and implement national science priorities.
Dr. Kung received her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Presidential Meritorious Executive Rank Award in 2009 and the Distinguished Executive Rank Award in 2022.
Event Contact
For questions, contact University Events: events@missouri.edu | 573-882-3807.