“We’ve presented some of the best and brightest minds at the University of Delaware over the past quarter century,” said F. Gary Simpson, assistant director of university relations at the University of Delaware (UD) and the organizer of the series.

“This year’s event continues in that great tradition with talks on the Obama presidency, the economy, the state of the university and the importance of groundwater in southern Delaware.”

The free public lectures will begin at 10 a.m., every Friday in March on the Sharp Campus. The March 5 and 19 lectures will be in Room 104 of the Cannon Laboratory, and the March 12 and 26 presentations will be in the Virden Center.

Opening the series March 5 will be Joseph A. Pika, the James R. Soles professor of political science and international relations. A well-known expert on Delaware and national politics, he will discuss “Evaluating Obama’s First Year.” Pika will present his take on all facets of President Barack Obama’s first year in office, from his economic policies to bank bailouts to healthcare reform.

On March 12, UD President Patrick Harker will discuss “Our Path to Prominence.” It was nearly two years ago that Harker unveiled UD’s sweeping strategic plan, The Path to Prominence. On March 12, he will talk about the progress made along the path, as well as other university initiatives.

“The Great Recession and the Road to Recovery” is the subject of the March 19 program with James L. Butkiewicz, professor of economics.

He will examine the current Great Recession in historical perspective and discuss the prospects for recovery. He will talk about what can or should be done and also provide the long-run outlook for the U.S. economy.

Concluding the series March 26 will be Peter P. McLaughlin Jr., senior scientist with the Delaware Geological Survey (DGS). He will discuss “More than Turning on the Tap: Understanding the Groundwater of Southern Delaware and the Hidden Geology That Holds It.” Groundwater is one of Delaware’s most important natural resources, providing nearly all fresh water for public, domestic, commercial, irrigation and industrial uses south of the C&D Canal in Delaware.

DGS researchers are working to more accurately delineate the occurrence of groundwater resources in southern Delaware. McLaughlin will present the results of recent DGS work to map the underground geologic formations that provide groundwater, and he will review DGS efforts to evaluate technical issues related to the availability and quality of water in these formations

The Land and Sea Lecture series is sponsored by UD’s Office of University Relations.