Public invited to exhibits, discussions about physics and Einstein's life

Celebrations of the "World Year of Physics" at the U. will include talks by noted physicists, a series of movie screenings, star parties, exhibits and a special course on Einstein's legacy.

The kickoff, according to Craig Taylor, distinguished professor of physics at the U., is the talk Feb. 2 by Mildred Dresselhaus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "She's what's called a condensed-matter physicist; she works on the physics of solids," Taylor said.

She has served as president of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society, he noted.

The talk, which begins 7:30 p.m. in the U.'s Aline Wilmot Skaggs Biology Building, is titled "Addressing Grand Energy Challenges through Advanced Materials." It will address ways in which extremely small-scale ("nano-") technology may offer promise for developing energy supplies.

At noon on Feb. 3, Dresselhaus will conduct a mentoring session about increasing opportunities for women in science. It will be held in the U. Marriott Library's Gould Auditorium.

"She's long been a proponent of the role of women in science," Taylor noted.

Later on Feb. 3, she will present a technical lecture on recent advances in the photophysics of carbon nanotubes. The colloquim starts 4 p.m. in Room 101, James Fletcher Building.

According to the U., other planned events include:

• A lectures by Nobel Prize winner Horst Stormer of Columbia University and Lucent Technologies' Bell Labs, speaking on the world of nanoscience. Time and location are to be announced, but the date will be Aug. 9, in conjunction with the American Association of Physics Teachers' annual summer meeting, to be held in Salt Lake City.

• A physics demonstration show by the Physics Instructional Resource Association, including Zigmund Peacock of the U. This also is to be Aug. 9 in conjunction with the physics teachers' meeting and is planned for Kingsbury Hall at the university, time yet to be announced.

• "An Evening with Einstein," sometime in mid-December, with talks and demonstrations by U. physicists Benjamin Bromley and Orest Symko. They will discuss space, time and the expanding universe and the quest for energy using heat and sound.