Professor Roberto Ballarini, head of the University of Minnesota’s Civil Engineering department, will speak about “The Importance of a Nation’s Infrastructure” Aug. 15 at the Firefighters Hall & Museum in Minneapolis.
The 7 p.m. free lecture is tied to the museum’s current exhibit, “81 MINUTES: After the Bridge Collapsed,” which showcases the rescue efforts of firefighters after the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge collapse in 2007.
The museum is at 664 22nd Ave. NE, Minneapolis.
Ballarini will discuss the cause of the collapse and the effects of a nation’s infrastructure on the quality of life and security of its citizens.
And organizers say he’ll present the findings of a National Science Foundation-funded academic investigation of the collapse, which he conducted with his students and colleagues. He’ll talk about how the infrastructure of roads, bridges, schools, museums and national parks have served the nation for a century, and the impact of deferred maintenance.
