Rotary Club International

Breakfast Meeting

September 24, 2008

Speaker:  Ralph W. Baird, Geophysicist

Title of talk:  Houston and the International Year of Planet Earth: Earth Sciences for Society

Abstract:

The International Year of Planet Earth runs from January 2007 to December 2009, the central year of the triennium (2008) having been proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly as the UN Year of Planet Earth. The International Year of Planet Earth is a joint initiative by UNESCO and the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). The International Year of Planet Earth aims to ensure greater and more efficient use by society of the knowledge accumulated by the world's 400,000 Earth scientists. Houston is the host October 4-9, for the First of its kind joint meeting of the Geological Society of America and the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies which have chosen IYPE as their theme for the joint meeting. IYPE aims to capture people's imagination about our planet and see that the abundance of knowledge about Earth science is used to make the Earth a safer, healthier and wealthier place for our children and grandchildren.

The speaker will relate personal experiences of the International Geophysical Year 1957-58 when NASA and DARPA were formed in response to a competitive threat of the successful Russian satellite SPUTNIK. The speaker will identify how Houston can benefit from its reputation as the New Global Energy Technology Center and leader in the areas of municipal planning for sustainability. Emphasis will be placed on the need to educate our youth about math, science and engineering so the next generations will be better problem solvers necessary to improve America's competitiveness in the new world.

Bio of speaker:

Ralph Baird, 59, a 35 year resident of west Houston and business owner, was elected to the Board of Officers of the UNESCO's International Year of Planet Earth, with partners and national committees located in 73 countries. Ralph's day job is as an oil and gas consultant/advisor to PetroDevelopment Partners, an energy opportunity investment fund, he co-founded, based in Houston and Beverly Hills. He is also senior technical advisor under Tim Miller of Texas EquuSearch of Dickinson, Texas. Ralph graduated from the Colorado School of Mines and worked for Conoco and then Fairfield Industries before founding Baird Petrophysical International in 1978. Ralph enjoys flying his Bellanca Super Viking to and from Denver to see his 3 grandchildren.

Hyperlinks: