Lawrence M. Krauss

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Fans of Star Trek movies and the television series can learn more about the science behind their favorite fantasy when Lawrence M. Krauss, internationally known theoretical physicist, speaks on "The Physics of Star Trek" at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 15 in Bayley Auditorium, Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center. This IBM Endowed Lecture in the Sciences is part of the 2005-06 Wittenberg Series and is free and open to the public.

A seasoned lecturer, Krauss will guide the audience on a warp speed journey through the Star Trek universe, which he uses as a launching pad to offer a glimpse of the fascinating world of modern physics. Through the use of slides, props and video clips, he will deal with topics ranging from time travel and the Big Bang to the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence.

Chair of the physics department and the Ambrose Swasey Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Case Western Reserve University, Krauss is well known in the research community for his suggestion that a still mysterious entity called dark energy might be the key to understanding the beginnings of the universe. A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society, he is the only physicist in history to have received the highest honors for his work from each of the three major physics organizations in the United States.

Krauss is also an op-ed writer and bestselling author of books with mass appeal. His seventh book, Hiding in the Mirror: The Mysterious Allure of Extra Dimensions, was published in October. He describes the book as "an exploration of our long-standing literary, artistic and scientific love affair with the idea that there are hidden universes out there." It joins a list of popular titles that includes his 1995 work, The Physics of Star Trek, which became a best seller and has been translated into 15 languages.

Krauss is one of the few prominent scientists today to have actively crossed the line between science and popular culture. For example, he has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, narrating Gustav Holst's The Planets at the Blossom Music Center and was nominated for a Grammy award for his liner notes for a Telarc CD of music from Star Trek.

Funded by a gift to Wittenberg from the IBM Corporation in 1982, the goal of this annual IBM lecture is to enhance the role and image of science on a liberal arts campus and to bring about a larger understanding and appreciation of science as a crucial contemporary endeavor. For more information about the events of the Wittenberg Series, call Gwendolyn Scheffel, Series coordinator, at (937) 327 -7918.

- Marj Newman

156-05

Contact: Ryan Maurer (937) 327-6114 Send a Message

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