Infrastructure Above and Below: Driving Human Progress

The largest machines on Earth are invisible to most people: the energy grid with fuels flowing beneath us in pipes, electricity distribution lines above and below ground along transportation corridors, and more than 13,000 satellites overhead enabling instant global communication. How important is infrastructure to civilization? Who does it serve, and who pays for it? 

These questions confront every nation on the globe. Some countries dominate infrastructure buildouts, while others have little or no access to modern systems. Some build and maintain advanced networks that support modern life; others face minimal, nonexistent, or failing infrastructure due to lack of upkeep. The result is a stark imbalance in essential services, creating wide gaps in quality of life and opportunity.

If you live in sub-Saharan Africa, what appliances can you run on electricity or the fuels that generate it? If you live in China, how do cars and highway miles compare to the United States or the West? If you live in Newport, why is the bridge full of potholes? If you want unlimited electricity, what infrastructures would you choose?

This course will address these questions in political, economic, and engineering terms.

Michael Armenia is a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute: Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering and graduate degrees in computer science and business. He was an executive engineer for 30 years at Raytheon Company evaluating energy R&D projects in solar, wind, hydro, batteries, wave, fossil and nuclear energy. Captain Armenia served 30 years in the U.S. Navy, active and reserve, including 20 in energy applications for ships, submarines, battlefields, and ocean systems. He commanded research units at the Naval Sea Systems Command and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command. In both civilian and military roles, he worked in design, production and repair of nuclear reactors and propulsion systems. Since retirement he has advocated energy solutions that are practical, effective, and safe rather than theoretical or politically inspired. He is a founding member of The Energy Council of Rhode Island.