About the Lecture: 

The Cold War has had profound effects on the relationship between science, technology, and national security. Strategic technologies such as nuclear power, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and satellites were developed during the Cold War to support advanced weapon systems. These developments also gave tremendous advantages to Western economies in economics and innovation; including in electronics, computers, global positioning systems and much more. This seminar will review strategic technologies developed during the Cold War and explain how they have impacted and transformed our daily lives.

About the Speaker: 

Dr Cung Vu is a chemical engineer with over 35 years of experience in industries, academia and government, and was listed in Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. Dr Vu served as Associate Director at the Office of Naval Research Global in Singapore to link the Office of Naval Research to the international scientific community.  Previously, Dr Vu served as Chief Science and Technology Advisor at the National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office (NMIO) where he advised the Director of NMIO on the implications of new and emerging technologies in the maritime domain. He fostered engagement and information sharing amongst the NMIO stakeholders (Federal, State, Local US Government, Academia, Private sector, Foreign Partners, etc.). He also led a community of interest on Emerging and Disruptive Technologies under the charter of the Global Futures Forum, coordinated by the National Intelligence Council. He was Branch Chief, Advanced Technologies of the Defense Warning Office overseeing strategic assessments on emerging technologies with the intent of precluding technological surprise. Dr Vu is currently an independent consultant, following his retirement from the US government, focusing in Science and Technology (S&T) in National Security, S&T in Maritime Security, Emerging Technologies, Renewable Energy for Rural Community, Waste to Energy, Water and Energy Nexus, and Renewable Energy in the Asia-Pacific region. He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Monash University, Australia and his B.S. in Chemical Engineering with Honors from University of Sydney, Australia.