Alberto Aleman Zubieta will give a lecture Friday afternoon at the Laura Lee Blanton Building. Zubieta is the CEO of the Panama Canal Authority and will talk about the past, present and future of the waterway, including the plans to expand it.

The SMU International Baccalaureate Scholars Program and the School of Engineering are presenting the event, which will begin at 4:30 p.m.

The Panama Canal opened in 1914 and is a passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The canal was originally controlled by the United States but was turned over to the Republics of Panama on Dec. 31, 1999.

Zubieta is a graduate of the civil and industrial engineering schools at Texas A&M University. When the United States controlled the canal, he served as the administrator of the Panama Canal Commission. He was elected to his current post during that time and served the PCC and the ACP concurrently to ensure a smooth transition between the organizations. He was re-elected to his post earlier this year. He is the recipient of numerous awards and currently resides in Panama.

The event is open to the SMU community, and interested parties should contact Martha Starke at [email protected] or at 214-768-3729.