The Program: Directed Energy – a Game Changing Technology that is Big in New Mexico, and its Implications on the Global Scene” Directed energy (DE) is a technology that offers the ability to deliver energy to a target at the speed of light with a very deep magazine. Advances in pulsed power technology, batteries, capacitors, and electronics have made directed energy closer to reality. Senator Heinrich (D – NM) has been a strong advocate for DE, legislating support and advocating for more rapid transition to the Armed Forces. Dr. Michael D. Griffin, the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, has said “Directed energy has gone through a lot of evolutions over the years … for many years, Congress and national policy fundamentally did not support the development of directed energy as a war-fighting tool.” This has changed. This presentation will introduce the audience to DE technology and describe how important it is to New Mexico and how this technology is developing on the global scene.

Presenter: Edl Schamiloglu was born in the Bronx, New York. After graduating from the Bronx High School of Science he received his B.S. in Applied Math and Applied Physics, and his M.S. in Plasma Physics from Columbia University (1979 and 1981, respectively), and his Ph.D. from Cornell University in Engineering (minor in Mathematics, 1988). He joined the University of New Mexico as Assistant Professor in 1988 and is currently Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Associate Dean for Research and Innovation in the School of Engineering, and Special Assistant to the Provost for Laboratory Relations. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and the recipient of the 2013 IEEE NPSS Richard F. Shea Distinguished Member Award “For outstanding contributions to the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society through its Pulsed Power Science and Technology and Plasma Science and Applications Technical Committees,” and the 2015 IEEE NPSS PPST Peter Haas Award “For research in the area of pulsed power, beams, and microwaves, and for his dedicated service to the current and future pulsed power community through his leadership and educational endeavors.”