Mar 29
Physics 123 Speaker Series: Week 1
The Department of Physics and Astronomy is pleased to announce this year’s Physics 123 Line-up. “What Physicists Do” is our annual series of five lectures by invited speakers, many of whom are Carleton Physics alumni. It is intended to introduce students to a broad range of real-world physics and to give some perspective on the kinds of work done by people with a physics background. The course is open to all interested students; those considering a major in physics are particularly encouraged to enroll.
Week 1 (March 29): Rebecca Riss '12
High-Performance Building Design: Prioritizing the Well-Being of Our Communities and Our Planet
The built environment has a profound impact on people and our planet. Building operations and construction activities contribute to nearly 40% of global carbon emissions, and people spend an average of 90% of their time indoors. These two simple statistics motivate me to design low-carbon energy-efficient buildings that also support human health. After graduating from Carleton, I moved to New York to pursue a Master of Architecture and then worked as a sustainability consultant for nearly a decade. Now, as Performance Director at OPN Architects, I lead our approach to high-performance building designs across the midwest. In this lecture, I will introduce general concepts used in building science, share examples of how I incorporate high-performance design strategies on my projects, discuss my path from Carleton Physics to where I am now, and outline a variety of career opportunities in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry.