With gasoline prices pushing past $3 a gallon, the president releasing oil reserves to assuage summer vacationers and news of Chinese competition for worldwide energy sources, Americans are anxious about energy issues in the news. Speakers will discuss these matters and more at a May 16 public forum at UC Davis: "The End of the Age of Oil: Apocalypse or Opportunity?"

The event has been organized by the UC Oil Forum, a new volunteer organization consisting of alumni from several UC campuses dedicated to public education about America's energy challenges. John Theobald, a lecturer in the UC Davis Department of Communication, organized and chairs the UC Oil Forum and will be the meeting's moderator.

"We will be laying out the problem, hoping to improve public awareness about energy depletion and trying to spark a discussion about the future," Theobald said. "Although people involved in the energy industry are very aware of the severity of the problems we face, the issue has been underplayed in the news."

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. in the UC Davis Athletic and Recreation Center Ballroom. Key speakers are:

• David Goodstein, vice provost and professor of physics and applied physics at California Institute of Technology and a public scientist concerned with fossil fuel and the Earth's climate. He is former host of "The Mechanical Universe," an educational television series that has been used by millions of students all over the world, and he will anchor the forum with his talk on "Out of Gas."
• Randy Udall, co-founder of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas -- USA, and director of Community Office for Resource Efficiency in Aspen, Colo. Udall, who has written about climate change and the energy revolution, is an environmental leader active on the national level. His talk is titled "Energy Challenges and the Future."
• UC Davis geologist David Osleger and mechanical engineer Andy Frank. Osleger will give insights on the nature and origin of oil, and Frank will discuss "The Plug-in Hybrid -- A Here and Now Solution."

The May 16 event is sponsored by the UC Davis divisions of Social Sciences and of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, the departments of Communication and Geology, and West Coast Asset Management Inc., an independent investment adviser based in Ventura, Calif.

Because seating at the free event is limited, online registration is required. To register go to http://www.ucoilforum.org.