Steven Zinkle, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, spoke to UNT Engineering students and faculty March 25 as part of the Distinguished Engineering Lecture Series.

Zinkle’s talk focused on the future of nuclear fission and fusion power and the need to develop advanced high-performance materials that could withstand mechanical stress at higher temperatures and intense radiation.

"It was truly inspiring to listen to Dr. Zinkle, the world's foremost authority on nuclear materials and radiation damage," said Vijay Vasudevan, chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. "I appreciated learning about the history of nuclear reactor development in the world, the advances in materials that made it possible, and the approaches being pursued to enable the next generation of reactors and advances in nuclear energy."

Put on by both the College of Engineering and its Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the lecture was part of the college’s Distinguished Engineering Lecture Series, which seeks to bring esteemed speakers to UNT from across the nation to discuss their research and create a dialogue around innovations in engineering for society’s needs today and in the future.

"Each lecturer who has visited UNT Engineering as part of this series has brought with them a wealth of expertise that further fosters this environment of intellectual dialogue, and professor Zinkle was no exception," said Andrey Voevodin, associate dean of research for the College of Engineering. "Lectures like this one provide our students the opportunity to hear from top experts outside the college, broaden their perceptions of engineering, and further their understanding of the field."