Dr. Arnold Berger, a nationally-known expert on embedded chip systems, will lead a two-part informational program dealing with the Y2K Millennium Bug on April 5 from 5 to 10 p.m. at California State University, Fresno.

Also scheduled to participate in a town-hall style panel during the event is William C. Withycombe, regional administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, Western-Pacific Region.

The event, which will be held in the Satellite Student Union, is a public service sponsored by the School of Engineering and Computer Science with co-sponsors Pacific Gas & Electric Co., and the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) student chapter.

“Much of the concern surrounding the Y2K issue stems from lack of information,” said Dr. Karl Longley, engineering and computer science dean. “This event will provide information to the public and hopefully help individuals and businesses with their respective needs.”

Berger is director of research and development for Applied Microsystems in Washington. For the past year, he has been on special assignment consulting with the electrical power industry on the remediation of the Y2K issues surrounding their embedded devices. From this effort, Berger and his team invented the SuperSLEUTH date detection tool.

The program begins at 5 p.m. with a vendors exhibit featuring products and services. The first part of the program from 6 to 7 p.m. is Berger’s technically focused lecture for valley businesses and is by invitation only. At 7:30 p.m., the general public is invited to attend part two of the program — the town-hall style panel discussion featuring Withycombe.

Dr. Brandt Kehoe, associate provost, will moderate the panel and Fresno State computer engineering professor Larry Owens will present information on hardware issues from an academic perspective.

Other panelists will be Happ Cluff, chief information officer and director of the City of Fresno’s Information Services Department; George Vasquez, director of Information Technologies at St. Agnes Medical Center. Representatives from the California Dept. of Financial Institutions, the Veterans Administration, and PG&E will also participate.

For more information about the program, contact event coordinator Dana Zupanovich Lucka at (559) 278-5590 or see the program web site at http://www.csusummerarts.org/index.shtml