Panel 1: Uniting Scientific Efforts for Environmental Solutions
Panel 1 Part I
Dr. Gilamichael Domenico
Dr. Menas Kafatos
Dr. David Blekhman
Dr. Andrew Combs
Panel 1 Part II
Dr. Gilamichael Domenico was educated in Kyushu University of Japan. He majors in earth sciences and is a professor of geology at California State University Dominguez Hills and East LA College. He is also a visiting researcher at the California Institute of Technology.
Dr. Menas Kafatos is The Fletcher Jones Endowed Professor of Computational Physics at Chapman University. He holds a B.A. in Physics from Cornell University and earned his Ph.D. in Physics from MIT. Dr. Kafatos had postdoctoral experience at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and later served as a Professor at George Mason University for nearly 25 years, holding various leadership positions. He then joined Chapman University in 2008, founding the Schmid College of Science and Technology and leading the Center of Excellence in Earth Systems Modeling and Observations. With extensive teaching and research experience spanning 40 years, he has authored numerous books and over 275 publications in various fields of science and received notable awards and honors.
Dr. David Blekhman is a professor of Sustainable Energy and Transportation in the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology and a founding technical director for the Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility here at Cal State LA. The station is the only facility in the world on an academic campus that produces its own hydrogen via electrolysis He is an internationally recognized expert in hydrogen transportation. Dr. Blekhman’s targeted training and student-centered research of rapidly evolving alternative fuel technologies are fundamental to the development and advancement of California’s clean energy workforce.
Dr. Andrew Combs holds a B.S. in Physics from Duke University, an M.S. in Meteorology from Florida State University, and a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from M.I.T. He conducted post-doctoral research at UC Davis and is the co-founder for InterLinear Technology in 1990. Dr. Combs is recognized for his research in various scientific domains, including topological defects and the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition. A member of the New York Academy of Sciences since 1991, he has significantly contributed to software and engineering. Formerly an educator in physics, astronomy, and mathematics, he now resides in Virginia, USA, and serves as the President of the World Research Institute for Science and Technology, North America, with a current focus on climate change research.